


Memories Are Your Worst Enemy

by riddle_me_this



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott, Doctor Scott McCall, Druid Emissary, Evil Peter Hale, Getting Back Something That Was Lost, Investigator Derek Hale, Jeep Metaphor, M/M, Memory Loss, Older AU, Police Officer Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, sterek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-28 04:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6314791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riddle_me_this/pseuds/riddle_me_this
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek wakes up one morning having dreamed of a strange boy. A boy he doesn't know. A gorgeous boy. A boy he loves but doesn't know why. A boy by the name of Stiles. Who is this Stiles and why does he plague Derek's dreams? Derek frantically searches for answers to his questions with the not-so-helpful-help of his Uncle Peter. But he isn't the only one searching. Stiles is looking too. Looking for Derek. The Derek he lost two years ago. The Derek that left without a word or explanation. Will these two get the answers they need? And will they ever be reunited with each other after years of searching and waiting? Only time can tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Awakening

Peter threw his hand back unsheathing his claws. With a quick grin and a growl under his breath he moved closer. Derek knelt in front of him facing the doorway. He felt himself sweating with fear and worry. What was he expecting? This wasn't going to be easy. Peter gently tapped his claws on the back of Derek's neck as he held a tight firm grip onto his shoulder. He leaned in. 

"Are you ready?" 

Derek gulped. Taking a deep breath, he tried to say yes but the words seemed to escape him. He was terrified. Of course he was. Wouldn't you be? Breathing heavily, he nodded in response. Peter smirked secretively. He may be helping Derek but he had other plans for the information he was going to be getting. In a quick motion he buried his claws into the back of Derek's neck. Derek roared out in pain. Both Derek and Peter reared their heads back as they slipped into a trance. A memory trance.

*****

_Derek gasped into life as the grey world of his memories came into focus. He was damp. He wasn't sure why but after taking a quick glance around his question was answered. He was in the local school by the swimming pool dripping with chlorinated water. Taking a deep breath, he looked up. There he was in all his glory._

Stiles

_Derek felt himself speak but the words didn't come out. A very wet and out of breath teenager stood in front of him. His hair stuck to his face as it dripped down off his chin. He wasn't looking at Derek at first but then shaking his head and gulping down the lump in his throat he looked up. He looked sad. As if he had almost lost something precious. He was looking at Derek. Was Derek the thing he had almost lost? Derek took a deep breath. He felt his heart pounding as if he were realising something. Derek tried to reach out his hand. Wipe away the water from his face but as he moved the memory disappeared like ink in water._

_Derek pulled back his arm and looked around him waiting for the next image to arrive. The next memory._

_His feet slipped from under him as he fell into a seat. It was comfortable and warm. He was in a car. A Jeep. A blue Jeep that was slightly old and rusted but cared for and loved. Derek felt the warmth rush over him. It was a nice warmth that was just slightly uncomfortable. Or was that the atmosphere? The teenage boy appeared in front of him breathing heavily with a hint of a smile nipping at the corner of his lips. Derek felt the rush of his blood frantically running through his veins. His heart was pounding faster than he had ever known it to. He felt a desire deep within his chest. A desire to move closer. A desire to feel the boy's breath against his skin. A desire to kiss him. Derek took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was desperate. He wanted to say something. Tell him something that was buried deep within his chest. No. His heart but he couldn't. Suddenly the image was wiped away like before but this time Derek felt an ache in his chest. He didn't want to move on. He wanted to stay. Stay there in the car with Stiles._

_As a new image was getting ready to show itself Derek stood amongst the whiteness thinking._

_Stiles? Was that his name? He didn't realise it but he knew that. He had said it before with such familiarity yet it wasn't until now that he realised he did not know that name. His name must be Stiles. That's all he thinks about. The boys face and that name. So it must be his name. Right?_

_The next image comes into focus but something is different. Derek can't open his eyes. He can't breathe. He can't move. His whole body is stiff and... wet. He is surrounded by water which explains the incapability to breath but how did he get here. Suddenly he feels a rush of water come towards him. He is barely floating. More like sinking to the bottom of the pit of water. Just as Derek thinks his life is about to end a hand, no two grab him by his shirt and frantically pull him close. In a rush and frantic movements Derek is dragged out of the water to the surface. Finally, he can open his eyes. Finally, he can breathe. He feels the close proximity of the body next to his. There is no water, no air, no nothing between then except the fabric of their shirts. Derek feels his heart pounding. It must be Stiles. He promised he would come back for me._

Wait! 

_How did he know that?_

_The memory disappears amongst the chlorinated water of the pool. Derek opens his eyes and takes a deep breath as he feet touch ground and his body dries. It was all so overwhelming to be honest. How had he known it was Stiles? And why was he so sure he had promised to return? Return from where? Return to what? Derek shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. This was all becoming very strange... and uncomfortable. But he wanted to go on._

_Suddenly a weight fell onto his back. He fell to his knees in agony. But not the normal type of agony. He had just lost someone precious. The weight that held him down was loss and guilt. He blamed himself. He was at fault for the death of his friends. This was all his fault._

_The image came into focus. Yet again Derek was wet but this time it was rain and tears. He was knelt in a puddle of blood and water. His hands and body were shaking with fear, anger and sorrow. He didn't look up. He couldn't. He felt the sadness pull at his face attempting to drag him down into the depths of hell where he belonged. His breathing was hitched and faltering. He felt so alone. He had no-one left. It was him and only him in this room of despair._

_This didn't make sense. He was supposed to be remembering Stiles. Why was he alone? What did this have to do with anything? How could he have forgotten this? Forgotten? He had never used that word before to describe these images. Were these really memories of things that had happened? He had always believed them to be dreams but maybe Derek was wrong. Maybe there was something much bigger hiding amongst his mind._

_Slowly a hand cautiously reached out. With gentle reassurance the hand rested on Derek's shoulder. A sudden rush of relief washed over him. Derek knew now he wasn't alone. Stiles was there with him. As always Stiles was there. Derek knew now that he needed Stiles. He wanted Stiles. He loved..._

_The thought was washed away as the next memory came in. Derek felt himself cut off. He felt vulnerable and slashed open. The last memory had caught him and a weak moment. Had allowed him to think weird thoughts. He wasn't in love with Stiles. Was he?_

_He looked up to see a woman. He knew not to trust her. She was evil and was going to hurt somebody. She was going to hurt Stiles. Derek leant forward and peaked round the corner where he stood. There he was Stiles looking terrified. The woman stalked up towards Stiles readying herself to inflict a blow that would be so painful Stiles would never wake up from it. In the rush of the moment Derek growled as he stepped forward jarring his elbow into the woman's face. He knocked her out instantaneously. Derek kept his eyes on Stiles. Stiles' body relaxed as he sighed with relief. Derek felt a twinge in his chest. What would he have done if Stiles was hurt?_

_As quickly as the thought came to his mind it was gone and so was the memory. Derek felt at a loss. He had gone through so much so far and all he could think about was the pain he felt from leaving Stiles. But he hadn't left had he? He didn't know Stiles. Stiles didn't exist. But even so he missed him. He missed him with all himself._

_The next memory faded in. Stiles was pressed up against the wooden door of his bedroom. Derek had a tight grip on his jacket. Using his strength, he held Stiles up against the door giving him no means of escape. Stiles breathed heavily as he looked Derek directly in the eye. He didn't falter under his glare. He was scared but almost in a good way. Derek could feel his heart pounding under his fist. It made him lustful. With no control Derek leaned in closer tightening his grip on Stiles' jacket. Taking a deep breath, he sucked in the gorgeous smell of Stiles' body. He felt his eyes trail down to Stiles lips. He quickly looked back up trying not to make it obvious that this positioning turned him on. But he couldn't help it. His eyes trailed back down to Stiles' lips as Derek swallowed down on his urge to kiss. No. Ravish Stiles right there and then. He felt his grip loosen as did the memory._

*****

Derek gasped back into reality. He still felt the churning emotions from the memories rushing through him and the itching pain of the claw scratches on his neck. Peter steadied himself, leaning against the arm of the chair breathing heavily. Derek was soaked with sweat. He knew now what was wrong. He knew now what he had to do.

"I have to find Stiles."

Derek whispered. Peter looked over at him and grinned. This is what he had been waiting for. This was what he needed in order for his plan to work.

*****

"You saved their lives. Mason, Malia, half the population of Beacon Hills... That's gotta feel pretty good."

Stiles sat opposite his father in the Sheriff's office of the Beacon Hills police station. He stared out the office window nervously twiddling with his hands. He felt empty with a hole that couldn't be filled.

"Yer it did. For a while."

Stiles felt the itching pains of tears biting at the corner of his eyes begging to be freed. He gripped tightly at his hands as he tried to hard not to feel. Not to care. Not to cry. But it was hard when all you ever felt was pain and sorrow.

"What changed?"

Sheriff Stilinski leaned forward towards his son trying desperately to be the comforting father he wanted to be but Stiles was a tough cookie. He never wanted to share his feelings of ideals or anything. Stiles preferred to lock himself away and bury his pain. He hoped that this time was different. He hoped Stiles would let him help.

"Nothing. I just can't shake this feeling that something’s still not right, that something’s missing."

Stiles still didn't look at his father. He stared distantly out of the window of the office. He wasn't looking at anything in particular he was just staring. Hoping that that hole could be filled. With anything. He just wanted it to go away.

"Is it Derek?"

Stiles felt something pull at his heart. Slowly his look away from the window and looked up his father. Sheriff Stilinski was right. It was Derek. Stiles missed him. Missed him more than anything. But it didn't matter because he was gone. Derek was never coming back to Stiles and he knew that.

The hole in Stiles' chest grew bigger at the thought of Derek. Stiles felt so alone and the one person he needed to fix that could never be around.


	2. Little Red Riding Hood

_Hey there little **Red Riding Hood**. You sure are looking good. You’re everything a **Big Bad Wolf** could want._

Stiles bolted upright in his bed. Sweat dripped from his nose. He was gripping tightly at his bed sheets, his breathing erratic. His knuckles looked bruised and broken as if they had survived a long beating. He quickly looked forward into the darkness that surrounded him. His copper brown eyes seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. He thought he could see something. He thought he could hear something.

_What big eyes you have. The kind of eyes that drive wolves **mad**._

He felt the urge to cry. The urge to throw up. The urge to scream but he did nothing. His breathing began to calm as he clutched at a thought. A thought that drained the craziness out of his blood. Stiles leaned back until his body fell against his bed with a loud thud. He heard his father shuffle in his bed as his sleep was disturbed. Stiles laid as still as he could. He didn’t want to wake his father. He needed to be alone. After a few moments his father coughed and fell back into a deep sleep. Stiles sighed with partial relief. The rest of him ached. Ached for Derek.

*****

Derek paced backwards and forwards round his loft trying to desperately connect the dots of his memories. Who the hell was this kid and why the hell was he dreaming of him?

“What connections have we got that could help me find this kid?”

Derek questioned his uncle Peter. Peter shook himself out of his trance and glanced at Derek. He was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t been paying attention to Derek since they had recovered his memories. He was too distracted. Distracted by the greatness of this discovery. He knew Derek was holding a big secret in that little head of his but this, this was bigger than big. Derek frowned at Peter before he jabbed him not so gently in the ribs. Peter jumped with shock and pain. He angrily growled at Derek. Once taking a look at his nephew’s face his expression softened and he realised he may have deserved it.

“Sorry I got distracted by my thoughts.”

“Well get your head out of the clouds and start thinking about how we can find this kid. Stiles?”

Derek trailed off as his thoughts drifted into a dream like state. He wanted to remember. Who was Stiles? And why did he love him unconditionally?

*****

_The van swayed side to side as it rolled down the hills of Beacon Hills. Derek tried his hardest not to sway too much and knock into Stiles. Even though he so desperately wanted to he knew it was stupid and childish. Slowly Derek looked round from the boring silver sides of the inside of the van and glanced at Stiles. The glance soon became a stare. He took in all of Stiles features. His slightly creased forehead from thinking too much. His cracked and bitten lips with lines of red from where he bites to hard sometimes and draws blood. His cute small little nose that he scrunched when he was thinking or getting annoyed. The small freckles that cover his face. His soft gorgeous skin. His..._

_Stiles squinted away from the sun as he looked round towards Derek. Derek was already staring at him. Derek looked away and then quickly looked back. Stiles was still staring. Derek took a deep breath and bit at his bottom lips. Stiles eyebrows lifted, his expression softened, his eyes watched admirably._

_The van swerved round a corner. Stiles swayed before knocking into Derek uncontrollably. He looked up slowly taking in every feature of his face before settling on his eyes. His gorgeous brown eyes. The two leaned against each other. Breathing heavily. Getting closer and closer. Lips almost touching._

*****

“Oh I may have found something.”

Peter clicked and typed frantically on his computer, staring intently at the brightly lite page in front of him. Derek rubbed tenderly at his forehead. He kept getting images of Stiles rushing through his mind but he couldn’t pin point a place or time with any of them. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for Peter’s great plan.

“What is it?”

Derek mumbled with a tad of annoyance. He was tired so give him a break.

“We can hire a private investigator to look into him. Find out who he is, where he is from and how he is connected to you. It’s a good deal as well. Very cheap. Also there are some great reviews on this website.”

Derek sighed as he slumped back into his seat.

“A private investigator? I thought we were looking for people we knew?”

Derek was fed up and just wanted to sleep. They had been at this for hours. The clock was just striking five in the morning and Derek hadn’t yet allowed his head to hit a pillow. Peter clicked on an image of a man with freakishly broad shoulders. The description underneath stated he was the best especially at finding those people who seemed not to exist. Peter thought he was perfect for their situation.

“We don’t know anybody, remember. Practically everyone we know is dead or locked up. We aren’t very lucky when it comes to making friends and keeping them.”

Derek tried to pretend that they knew some people but Peter was right everyone they did know was dead, locked up or pretty much useless. They were the last two members of the Hale family and due to the nature of their family’s death people tended to keep clear and those that didn’t ended up getting killed by one of their many enemies. Derek and Peter were alone so maybe hiring a private investigator wasn’t such a bad idea. And it would prevent any unwanted business coming back to them.

“What have you got then?”

Peter’s face lite up as he turned his computer screen towards Derek and began to explain the greatness of private investigators. Peter reminded Derek of a small child sometimes even though he was the eldest.

*****

Derek ran his fingers through his hair as he bowed his head down. He was desperate to find out what he could about Stiles but at the same time he was worried. Worried that the answer wouldn’t be what he wanted.

A long black car pulled up to the road in front of the bench that Derek sat on. Derek slowly looked up. He squinted as the door opened reflecting the sun into his eyes causing temporary blindness. As the door closed and Derek could see again he slowly looked round and up at the tall broad shouldered man towering over him. Derek looked like an innocent child compared to this man. An innocent child doing something stupid. The man in his long black coat took a seat next to Derek trying to act inconspicuous and subtle. Derek began to feel like the adult again.

He sighed as he waited for the man to cautiously take out his findings and pass them over to Derek. He pulled out a large brown folder brimming with papers that begged for release. Derek took the folder into his hands and felt the hefty weight of it. This was Stiles. He was finally going to know.

“Is there anything important I should know before I start?”

Derek questioned knowing from all the cop shows that Peter watched sometimes the investigators left out stuff important. The man refused to look at Derek. He got up from the bench and began to walk towards the car. Just before he stepped into the road he stopped. He turned his body slightly towards Derek but didn’t look at him.

“Everything is there. Every little detail you could ever want to know about Stiles Stilinksi…”

Derek frowned at the name. Stiles Stilinksi. He wanted to say it was stupid but apart of him felt bad for thinking it and apart felt like he had already said it.

“…even the in-depth details of his death.”

The man walked into the road and away from Derek. Derek jumped to his feet and lurched for the man but he was already too far away. The black car drove away quickly leaving Derek staring after it. Slashed open and vulnerable. He supposed they probably wouldn’t be able to answer his questions anymore than he could.

Stiles was dead. But how? Why? Was this all a waste?

*****

_“You think you don’t get to have this. That you don’t get to have us.”_

_Derek felt his body shaking. He was scared. Worried. Sad. He wanted to tell Stiles everything. Every little detail of his emotions, his mind, his everything but it wasn’t that easy. He stared at his hands absentmindedly. He was listening to Stiles everything else was darkness. A darkness he had created._

_“But you’re wrong, Derek. God, you’re so wrong.”_

_“Stiles...”_

_Derek spoke quietly. Almost incoherently. The words escaped him in a whisper as if he never intended to say them but they came naturally. He felt the sorrow rising up his chest. He felt the tears but he bit them back._

_Stiles shook his head as he looked round towards Derek. He had hoped that Derek would be looking at him but he wasn’t. He couldn’t. Stiles felt the twinge of sadness in his chest grow larger and spread through his veins. This was a sickness that only Derek could cure but Stiles had to coax him into it._

_“I know you want us, even if you don’t say it out loud, I know you do.”_

_Stiles was beginning to turn his sadness into anger. They did say that the closest thing to love was hate but he didn’t hate Derek, he was just angry that Derek wouldn’t try. Wouldn’t try and look at him._

_“You, more than anyone I know, deserves to be happy, to have what you want.”_

_Derek could remember many a time where he felt happy. Happy because of Stiles. Whenever he woke up to see sleeping Stiles lying next to him he felt happy. He remembered the creased face of Stiles as he snored. The soft touch of Stiles’ hand on his. Stiles’ breathe warming his face and neck. Stiles’ shuffles and he woke or fell into a deeper sleep. He loved every moment of it. Of course it made him happy._

_But was that all that mattered. Derek pushed away the memories. This was not the time to reminisce. He pushed Stiles away for a reason. A reason that was valid. A reason he couldn’t tell Stiles._

_He slowly looked up towards Stiles, his expression drowning in sorrow. It was hard to say no. It was hard to push him away. It was hard not to love Stiles because he did. He loved him unconditionally and would do till the end of time._

_“And how do you know what I want?”_

_Derek expected Stiles to give up. To give in but he was wrong, again. Stiles shook his head as if knowing that was what Derek was going to say. As if ready for this reply. Slowly raising his head, he looked into Derek’s eyes showing all the admiration and love he had accumulated for Derek over the years in one glance._

_“Because I want this too. And I can see it in your face every time you look at me that you feel the same way I do.”_

_Suddenly Derek’s mind drew a blank. Maybe the reason he pushed away Stiles was unreasonable. Maybe he could be happy. Maybe he could be with Stiles._


	3. Funeral Were Always Tough On Kids

Derek threw the folder onto the metal table spilling papers. As if time had slowed papers tumbled to the floor cover the table and the floor surrounding it with Stiles. Derek dropped onto his bed, bending and rebounding the wooden supports underneath his weight. He stared at the white sheets of information that were scattered across his floor. The white sheets of his past. Of his fake past. Of Stiles’ past. His head was heavy. He felt dizzy and uncomfortable. As he breathed deeply his neck gave into the weight and dropped his head back. Derek stared up at his ceiling unsure how, what he was supposed to do now. Stiles was dead and he was chasing after dreams.

Derek jumped to his feet and roared out in agony. His whole body shook with a ferocity and sadness Derek was unaware he had. He didn’t want it. He stared at the papers covering his loft and felt the anger rising in his chest. In a flash of anger and desperation Derek grabbed the edge of the table and threw with all strength. The table collided with the wall bending and denting as it fell to the floor. Derek hunched over and breathing erratically slipped to the floor landing with a loud thud on his knees. He begged silently for it not to be true. He begged that this was over. He wished that he could fix this and change everything. He wished that he could explain what was happening. Explain the pain he felt for a boy he had never met. Explain the memories he had never experienced.

“So how did the meeting with the private investigator…”

Peter halted on the stairway coming down into the loft. The room was littered with papers, some stamped with blood red confidential markers, others crumpled by anger. He spotted the metal table bent and bashed on it’s side on the complete opposite side of the room to its normal position. He spotted Derek kneeling amongst the mess looking as bad. No worse than the room. Peter slowly approached with caution.

“…Am I to assume it went badly?”

Peter tried desperately to lighten the mood but it didn’t look like an easy job. Derek slumped back his shoulders and looked up at his uncle, his face riddled with suffering. How had it come to this? How had he wanted it so much when it never existed? He sighed, spreading the deep depression biting at his insides out into the atmosphere.

“He’s dead, Peter.”

Peter frowned. He opened his mouth to reply but bite back the response. He had forgotten. Forgotten something very important. Derek was oblivious. Oblivious to the true mission. He pulled up a seat and took it opposite Derek. Placing a reassuring hand on Derek’s shoulder he sighed. He needed to look sympathetic. He needed to keep up the façade.

“Maybe we should read the file. We need to crack this.”

He wasn’t wrong even if his intentions were. Derek couldn’t find the strength. The reason. The need to search anymore. He knew now that Stiles was dead and any emotions he felt towards him were pointless. Pointless because there was no them, it was just him again. Him and his dreadful dreams.

*****

_Stiles flinched under Derek’s touch. A large gash spread across his cheek and under his left eye. Blood trickled down his face dripping off his chin. It was splattered on his left side staining his hair and eyebrow. His lip was split and sore to the touch. His jaw felt broken and his nose was crooked. He felt the bruises on his chest rising up to his skin so the whole world could see them. All Stiles could feel was pain. Pain and tiredness._

_Derek gently turned Stiles’ face towards his. He could feel the pain. He could feel the cuts on his skin. He could feel the loss of control. He could feel the defeat. The weakness that riddled Stiles’ body and he hated it. His anger rose up his chest and into his voice._

_“Tell me who did it.”_

_Stiles flinched away from Derek. He understood why he was angry. He would’ve been angry if anyone hurt Derek. But he couldn’t let Derek do anything. He couldn’t. He had to pretend everything was okay. He had to at least try to protect Derek. If he knew he would be broken. Hurt to no return. How could he tell him? How could Stiles say to Derek that his sister was to blame? How would you feel if your sister hurt the one you love? What would you do?_

_“Derek, it’s…”_

_“Don’t tell me it’s nothing because I will make those cuts a lot worse.”_

_Stiles chuckled. Derek was still Derek even in this situation. Even so Stiles still didn’t have the strength to tell him. He didn’t have the guts. Stiles gulped down the lump in his throat before he looked at Derek. Before he faced him._

*****

Peter pulled the chair up to the desk as he placed the freshly pack brown folder onto the table. He had spent hours collecting the sheets of paper off the floor and reordering them. If Derek was going to give up he wasn’t. He had come to far to give up.

“Right then.”  
Peter flipped open the folder and picked up the first sheet of paper. It was a copy of a birth certificate from August, 1991. Peter turned the page in his hand before setting it upside down on the folder cover.

Derek slowly approached the desk. As if it ached him he slowly picked up the birth certificate and turned it in his hands. He read the page with a delicacy only known to those that had lost the dearest person to them.

_The City of New York: Vital Records Certificate_

_August 26 th 1991_

_Stilinski…_

Derek turned the paper and placed it back on top of the folder cover. He looked away pained and reeling. He walked towards his bed and took a seat. He could watch instead of participate. Peter picked up the next few pages in the folder and began to flick through them. Derek watched with a curiosity that was infested with pain.

Peter smiled as he read through the next few pages, turning them over and placing them on top of each other. His pile slowly grew.

“His father was the Sheriff. His mother died when he was eight years old. Shit. That must have been tough. It says here he was the only person present when his mother died. And that she was reported to have attacked him thinking he was trying to kill her… She had dementia. That must have been hard on a little kid like that.”

Derek could feel a familiarity with the grief of knowing what Stiles had been through. He felt like he had been there. Maybe not when his mother died but after. Years after when Stiles spoke of it. Only briefly but Derek didn’t mind. It gave him an insight to Stiles’ crazy mind. He never felt sorry for him. He knew Stiles wouldn’t want that but he understood the pain of losing a parent. Of losing a mother.

“He was a genius. He got straight As throughout high school and university. Apparently he was easily distracted but he was by far the brightest kid the teachers had met. Him and one other student, a female going by the name of Lydia Martin, were the top students at their high school.”

Derek chuckled. Stiles was a genius. That pleased him. From everything he could remember and he expected the same for future rising memories Stiles was a genius. He did do and say some stupid things and he may have given off the impression he didn’t have much intelligence but he was crazy smart. Especially when it came to weird and useless facts.

Peter flicked through more and more pages of information. It seemed endless but both Derek and Peter knew there was an end. They knew this story wasn’t going to last forever. They just didn’t know how it ended.

Peter picked up a booklet of photos. There was a dark haired boy with a distinctive tattoo on his left arm, a strong build and glowing red eyes.

“Either the photographer was rubbish or it seems Stiles’ buddy… Um… Scott McCall’s a werewolf. And not just any werewolf. He’s an alpha.”

Derek quickly looked up from his lap and frowned at Peter. Peter nodded his head before holding out the image for Derek. Derek jumped to his feet and grabbed the photo from Peter’s hand. The glowing red eyes were distinctive. This kid was definitely a werewolf and he was definitely an Alpha.

“So Stiles was aware? He knew of the creatures hidden in this world?”

Peter looked up from the pictures with a clueless expression.

“I don’t know but if his best friend is a werewolf I’m positive he probably knew something.”

Peter continued to flick through the photos. The next photo was of a beautiful girl with strikingly ginger hair.

“Lydia Martin. The Einstein.”

He placed the photo with Scott’s and continued onto the next one. This one was of a well built dark haired boy with expensive clothes and accessories.

“Jackson Whittemore. He doesn’t look too fazed by the lose.”

Peter commented bitterly. He may have not known anything about this kid but he hated to see a stupid rich kid thinking he was better than people. He threw it on top of the pile. Next was a gorgeous brunette with piercing eyes and plump red lips. Peter tilted his head with recognition. He quickly turned the photo over desperate to find the name.

“Argent. Of course.”

Derek looked up from the photo of Scott he held tenderly in his fingers. What was Peter muttering about now?

“What?”

“Allison Argent.”

Peter shoved the photo of the brunette girl in Derek’s face expecting a more surprised expression. Derek leant back and looked at the photo with annoyance.

“So?”

Peter growled as he pulled the photo back and looked over the name again and again as if it might change. But it didn’t.

“The Argent family. You must now of them.”

Derek placed the photo of Scott down and took the photo of Allison out of Peter’s hands. He looked over the girl before frowning with confusion. He placed the photos with the others and looked up at his uncle.

“So Stiles knew an Alpha and a Hunter. That must have been a strange friendship.”

Peter cackled as he read over a sheet giving information on the photos.

“Even better, that Scott kid was dating the Hunter.”

Derek huffed with surprise. He hadn’t expected that that was for sure. Peter pulled another sheet out and read over it quickly.

“This one gives a list of addresses and numbers of them… including his father.”

Derek’s ears pricked up. Maybe they could investigate further. Maybe they could question the family. Maybe they could explain what was going on with Derek. Maybe they could explain Stiles. Peter threw the pieces aside and picked up the large wad of papers marked confidential.

“Now this is interesting. Why would a normal kid like Stiles need a confidential file?”

Derek leaned forward reading over Peter’s shoulder. Peter flicked through the pages before he began to read them properly. Placing the wad gently in front of him, he slowly turned the pages. The first page after the stamp of confidentiality was a photocopied version of a death certificate. There were splodges in the ink as if someone had cried onto the page but not on Derek’s copy.

_New York State: Department Of Health: Certificate Of Death_

_Place of Death:_ _228 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10003_

_Age: 24_

_Cause of Death: Animal Attack_

_Date of Death: 23 rd of March…_

Derek took a deep breath as he slowly back away from the table. He knew this was coming but it hit a little harder than he had hoped. He grabbed tightly to the edge of the table for support as he repeated the words over and over again in his head. Was this pain ever going to end?

“According to the death certificate he died of an animal attack but according to eye witnesses’ reports, which there are many of, it was a man that turned into a wolf. The police had no evidence that any male human was present and caused Stiles’ death so they ignored the testimony.”

Derek’s breathing hitched as he felt the bile of sick rise up his throat.

“Derek do you know what this means?”

Derek tried desperately to clutch at the happy memories of Stiles but they were gradually becoming tainted. Tainted by sorrow.

“Derek…”

Peter held the testimonies in his hands. He got to his feet and turned towards Derek astonishment soaked into his skin. He slowly looked up from the papers at his nephew as the thought lingering in his mind finally set into place.

“…Stiles was killed by one of us. He was killed by a werewolf.”

Derek felt the dizziness and blackness take over his body. Before he could protect himself his body fell limp into slipped into the darkness surrounding him. As Derek fell his head slammed against the edge of his bed instantaneously knocking him out.


	4. You Only Know You Love Him, When You Let Him Go

_Stiles itched at his forehead. He couldn’t find the connection. He couldn’t find the link that they needed. The link they needed to lock away the bad guy. He picked up the board rubber and frantically rubbed down the pen marks he had left. Grunting with annoyance he wiped away the last mark._

_Suddenly he felt a presence behind him. Pressed up against his back breathing heavily down his neck. He felt his hair stand on end. He felt his senses tingle. He took in a deep breath and breathed slowly trying to calm his heart that frantically bashed against it confinements begging to be freed._

_Slowly a hand reached up brushed over his holding the board rubber. His chest constricted as he tried to remember to breathe. Their face moved closer to his. Their nose brushed against the skin on Stiles’ neck sending a shiver down his back. In a small breathy voice, they spoke._

_“Stiles…”_

_Stiles took and slow and deep breath as they pressed closer against his back. He arched his head back trying desperately to catch a secret glance of them. He knew who it was but this would be all the better if he could see them. If he could…_

_“I’ve… I’ve wanted…”_

_Stiles closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he rested the back of his head on their shoulder. Slowly their hand trailed down Stiles’ hand, down his arm, across his shoulder and down his back till it rested tenderly on the brim of his jeans. Their fingers playfully tugged at the fabric but moved no further. Stiles’ breathing hitched as he desperately clutched at his sanity. If continued or stopped Stiles would go crazy._

_Suddenly the hand was pulling up Stiles’ shirt as it traveled up his chest pulling him closer, pulling him back, arching him over. The warm hand blissfully rubbed up and down Stiles’ chest as it pushed him backwards and forwards. Stiles knew now if they didn’t get somewhere with this soon he was going to explode._

_The hand slowly trailed down till a finger brushed underneath the belt of his jeans. Stiles whimpered only then for it to turn into a groan as they nuzzled against his neck, licking, kissing, nibbling. Stiles couldn’t hold on any longer. Pushing away the hands Stiles twisted to face them, grabbing at their shirt and pulling them close. Panting he held his lips merely millimeters away from theirs as he whispered breathlessly._

_“Derek…”_

_Slowly opening his eyes, inhaling, playfully brushing against Stiles’ lips Derek smirked. He loved it when Stiles couldn’t hold off. He loved it when Stiles gave into his desperate needs. He loved it when Stiles tried to take control._

_“Please…”_

_Stiles gasped. Derek gently licked Stiles’ lips as he pulled him closer. Pressed him against his chest. He loved to tease Stiles and he knew Stiles deeply loved it too._

_“Just… Just f…”_

_Derek held up a finger against Stiles’ lips as he bit his own. He loved Stiles breathlessly trying to talk. Trying to beg._

_Derek and Stiles had been an on and off fling all summer but it was beginning to become more frequent that Derek appeared in Stiles room to ravish him. Stiles didn’t complain. He enjoyed the company especially as it was Derek._

_Derek chuckled. He grabbed Stiles’ thighs and lifted him up so that Stiles was straddling him. Derek dropped Stiles onto the bed with him perfectly pressed against him. Perfect positioned on top of him. Perfect together._

*****

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair, down the nape of his neck and across his shoulders. He felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He clicked his back before he got to his feet and headed into the station. He hoped the fresh air would make him feel better but all he could think about was Derek. And inappropriately as well.

Stiles entered the station bringing a cloud of gloom with him. He kindly waved hello at some of the officers behind desks before he knocked on the Sheriff’s door. His dad had been the one to force him to take a break. He knew he was just trying to look out for him and had a valid point but Stiles just wanted to distract himself. Distract himself with work.

“Come in.”

Stiles clicked the door unlocked and entered closing it behind him. The department were investigating a multiple murder that had occurred on the border of Beacon Hills. Stiles was still only a trainee and at the academy to become an officer but he was allowed to help out. He had a wider knowledge on the subject so the Sheriff allowed him to help. Also being the Sheriff’s son did have its perks.

“Stiles? I thought I told you to have a break.”

Stiles grunted as he seated himself on the bench opposite the Sheriff’s desk.

“I did take a break.”

He looked at the board covered in pins and strings and pictures connecting everything up. Though some pins and strings were abandoned. Their connection not yet found. The board was distinctively Stiles. It has his name and style written all over it.

“That wasn’t a break that was a breather.”

“Well that was all I needed.”

Stiles glared at his father. He knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to care but Stiles didn’t need care he needed distractions. Sheriff Stilinksi tutted under his breath. He understood that he son just wanted to pretend nothing was wrong but something was wrong. It had been years since Derek had disappeared and since then Stiles had never been the same. He tried to help him. He tried to get him to move on but Stiles wouldn’t have any of it. The Sheriff knew why. Derek hadn’t died he had disappeared and to this day Stiles was still searching for him. Hoping he would come back. Come back to Stiles.

*****

_Stiles fiddled with the cold silver key, feeling every nock and cranny, feeling the rust, feeling his warmth spreading into the metal. His breathing was slow and steady but his heart was thrashing around like crazy._

_“Uh Derek, what is this?”_

_He knew very well what it was but he didn’t want to believe it to be true. Was Derek really giving him this._

_“What does it look like, dumbass?”_

_Derek rolled his eyes. Stiles knew full well what it was he was just being stupid. Derek stared at the key. At the commitment he had just made. He had been thinking about this for days. Weeks and it was now that he decided it would be best to do it. Stiles rubbed his fingers up and down the key before looking back up at Derek._

_“Yes, thank you, asshole, I can see that it’s a key. What I meant was, why are you giving me a key to your place? We’ve only been together for a couple of months.”_

_Stiles felt his breathing rate changing as the thought set into place. Derek was giving him a key to his place. They weren’t even dating. They were just sleeping together. They hadn’t told anyone about what was going on between them and Stiles wasn’t sure when he was going to be ready to tell everyone._

_“Stiles, stop freaking out. I’m giving you a key not asking for your hand in marriage.”_

_Derek chuckled absentmindedly not realising the extent of how those words would affect Stiles. Stiles’ breath hitched at the mention of the word marriage. This was getting out of hand. How could Derek so nonchalantly give him a key to his loft without understanding the connotations behind it. Stiles began to articulate his words and opinions with his hands. This was going downhill quickly; he could feel it._

_“Yeah, you should probably wait until I finish high school for that. Or until when we are actually dating or told people about us.”_

_Stiles felt nervous. He felt… happy. Why was he happy? Him and Derek weren’t a thing but the act of being given a key to Derek’s place made him feel happy. Made him feel loved._

_“My dad is going to kill you… no both of us if he finds out.”_

_Stiles scratched at his forehead as he tried desperately to calm himself. To stop himself from getting too over excited. Derek smiled as he licked his lips. He slowly pulled his lip in and gently bit down. Stiles began to breath slowly again as he watched Derek. Derek smirked as he knew he had Stiles captured. He had won. Stiles was all his and he loved that feeling._

_“My dad is already…”_

_Derek looked Stiles up and down as he ran his fingers through his hair. As he came back up to Stiles eyes he smirked before glancing back down to his lips. Derek leaned slightly in towards Stiles decreasing the gap between them. Stiles knew what Derek was doing and it was working._

_“…already on edge about us being around each other…”_

_Derek brushed his fingers down Stiles arm and rested on his leg where he drew circles. He didn’t take his eyes off of Stiles’ lips and eyes. Stiles watched Derek as he breathed slowly attempting to keep his cool._

_“…especially after he walked in on us in bed.”_

_Derek chuckled under his breath as he watched Stiles squirm under his touch. Stiles was going to give in and he knew it._

_“What tare you wanting from me taking this key?”_

_Stiles questioned. He was worried about the reply but Derek wouldn’t stop smiling. Maybe he wasn’t just doing this for the sex. Maybe there was something else to this. Maybe Derek really did feel the same way for Stiles as Stiles felt for him. He had convinced him before that the relationship was worth it even though all they were doing was having sex. But Stiles wanted more. He needed more. He was falling in love with Derek and he hoped Derek wasn’t leaving him behind._

_“Well we won’t have to keep sneaking around anymore…”_

_That’s what Stiles was worried about. Derek was just worried they were going to get caught again. He wanted to prevent any discrepancies. This had nothing to do with them. To do with a relationship._

_“…and well officially we shouldn’t be dating or even having sex until you graduate high school and turn eighteen as it can be seen as a felony on my part so this is a promise for when that time comes.”_

_Stiles glanced up at Derek. Was he really saying that they were an item? That they were secretly dating? Was Derek actually making a commitment?_

_“Your dad let me off the last time if I promised never to come near you again so I have to at least pretend I am waiting till you are old enough.”_

_Stiles felt a genuine smile spread across his face as his body filled with joy and happiness. Derek had just said they were together. Hadn’t he?_

_“Does that mean you are saying I am your boyfriend?”_

_Stiles questioned cautiously he knew that that question could end badly but he could also become the best day of his life. So far._

_“Of course it does Stiles.”_

_Derek laughed. He slowly ran his fingers through Stiles hair as a tender smile rested on his face. He loved Stiles with every part of his body so how could he let this one escape him. He needed Stiles and he hoped Stiles needed him too._

_“Just we have to keep it a secret until you graduate high school.”_

_Stiles jumped forward pushing Derek against his bed where he was seated. Straddling him to the bed Stiles slowly lowered himself. Closing the gap between their lips._

_It was the second best kiss Stiles could remember. Number one was the first time Derek kissed him. And third was the day Derek told Stiles he loved him for the first time. He could never forget those._


	5. The Beginning to the End

Scott flipped the pen in his finger as he stared absentmindedly out of the glass door into the street. The vets hadn't been very busy so far that day so Scott was beginning to slip into his own mind. He began thinking about what had happened in his life. All the bad things. All the good things. Meeting Stiles when he was a kid. Being bitten by a werewolf. Becoming an Alpha. Everything that had happened so far had turned his life into a rollercoaster but worse than that it had turned Stiles' life into a rollercoaster. He never had intended to cause so much trouble. So much pain for Stiles but that was what being Scott's friend had done. Scott thought about it everyday. If Scott had never gotten bitten or if Scott had never met Stiles then Stiles would never have gotten hurt. Stiles would have never met Derek and the agony he was feeling wouldn't exist. Scott blamed himself even though he knew. He knew he shouldn't. Scott felt a heaviness on his shoulders that he didn't think he could ever lift.

The door to the back of the vets clicked open. Scott spun round ready to attack. He wasn't

expecting anyone he knew. Anyone he trusted. But there stood in the door way looking battered and beaten as if he had spent years being trapped in a box tortured for information. Scott's expression soften as he realised who it was. As he realised not everything was falling apart.

"Deaton? You're back? You've been gone for... Months."

Scott felt like crying. Everything seemed so shit. So awful at the moment and he felt like he had no one to turn to. He didn't want to worry his mother. Deaton had disappeared along with Derek and Stiles. Well Stiles had fallen apart. Stiles hadn't spoken to anyone but his Mother since Derek disappeared. And seeing as his mother was dead everyone was beginning to worry but no one knew how to fix the problem.

Deaton's breathing was heavy as if he had just ran miles to get here. He was sweating slightly and his eyes were droopy with tiredness. Scott took a step towards him when he heard it. The clatter of sound echoing into his ear from the back room. It wasn't an animal it was a person. Scott

looked towards Deaton, questions written across his face but one more prominent than the others. Who the hell was with them? Deaton looked directly into Scott's eyes as he took a deep breath and spoke.

"I've found Derek."

*****

Derek paced backwards and forwards in front of the table. Peter rested his feet on it leaning back watching his nephew. They had been like this for what felt like an eternity. Or at least it did to Peter. Derek finally stopped and looked at his uncle the horror finally setting in but now becoming determination.

"We need to talk to the family. Find out what they know. Find out who killed Stiles."

Peter's ears pricked. Finally they were going to do something and it sounded like something interesting. Derek held out his hand beckoning for something.

"You have the list of addresses right?"

Peter passed him the sheet that stated all the known addresses of the friends and family members that knew Stiles.

"Now we need a reason. Something that will make them want to talk to us."

Peter smirked with cynicism. This was a new side to his nephew. A determined side. A side he enjoyed the company. A side that got things done.

*****

_Stiles fell into the chair next to Scott, his whole body diseased with fatigue. He had been working the longest shift he could ever imagine at work and he still had finals to revise for and what felt like a hundred case file essays to write. Being a cop in training whilst working at a part time job made life seem endless and exhausting and Stiles didn't enjoy that thought. However there was an uplifting thought. He was spending the day with Scott and then was going to Derek's this evening. So maybe life wasn't so bad._

_"Are you alright?"_

_Scott questioned abruptly. Stiles assumed it was because he had harshly fallen into the chair but still frowned in responce just in case._

_"Yer. Just had a long night shift at work. Dicks forced me to take over their shift."_

_Scott raised an eyebrow in question but took the queery no further. Him and Stiles had just_

_started College and everything seemed to be going well. There was just one issue Scott had been meaning to bring up with Stiles for awhile. For years actually but it hadn't been this prominent before._

_"You know I have been meaning to ask you something."_

_Scott's voice seemed to quiver. He was nervous. He didn't want to seem like he was prying. Like he was being over protective and stupid. He was just being a friend._

_"Sure, go for it."_

_Stiles looked down from the gorgeous blue sky above him and towards his worried friend. He smiled reassuringly trying to tell him that nothing was wrong and that he could ask him anything._

_"I've just been noticing..."_

_Scott looked away from Stiles and stared at his feet. He didn't mind what the answer was as long as it wasn't harming anyone._

_"...just that lately I've noticed that you..."_

_He was beating round the bush. Stiles frowned, leaning in closer trying to coax the words out of Scott. It worked._

_"...I've noticed lately that you smell_

_distinctively of Derek and when I was at the loft last it smelt a lot like you. I just want to know..."_

_Scott looked up at Stiles._

_"...I want to know what is going on."_

_Stiles stared wide eyed at Scott his words frozen in his throat. They had never thought about it before. Him and Derek. It was common for the two of them to spend time together due to their work and usually a lot of other people spent time with them too drowning out each others smells but now. Now it was different. High School had ended and everything was different. Derek and Stiles were dating but they hadn't yet told anyone especially Stiles' dad due to previous issues. But of course with how much time Stiles spent with Derek and at his loft he was going to smell like him and with Scott being a werewolf he would definitely pick up on it but it had never been a problem before. They had become reckless. Or was this perfect? Was this fate telling Stiles he needed to let them know? He needed to tell the truth._

_"Stiles are you going to answer me?"_

_Scott frowned as he watch the turmoil snake_

_it's way around his friends face. Scott knew he had hit something big but he hoped it wasn't horrific. Stiles took a deep breath before burying his face in his hands. He supposed now was the time. He would just have to apologise to Derek later and then they could both tell everyone else after that._

_"We're sleeping... Dating. We're dating."_

_The words were jumbled and nervously portrayed but they did the trick. Scott's shoulders relaxed as his body slipped back into the comfort of the chair. He was relieved._

_"Thank God, I thought you might have been working together on something dangerous and I was worried you were going to get hurt because both you and Derek are reckless and just idiots. But this. This I can deal with... No this I am happy with. At least you are safe and happy."_

_Scott laughed as Stiles slowly looked up at his friend. He was an idiot. They both were._

*****

Scott pushed past Deaton into the back room. Stood looking confused and distraught was Derek covered in mud, blood and bruises. Scott lurched forward to talk to him but Deaton quickly held him back.

“Scott wait.”

Scott looked round frowning with confusion.

“I’ve found Derek but he isn’t our Derek.”

Scott pulled his wrist out of Deaton’s hand and turned his whole body to face him. He glanced over his shoulder at Derek before looking back at Deaton. Deaton took a deep breath and began.


	6. A Broken Universe

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Scott shouted as he turned to look back at Derek for what must have been the hundredth time whilst Deaton tried to explain the situation. Deaton rubbed tenderly at the bridge of his nose. He felt tired beyond repair but he knew that after a day’s rest he would feel better. As would everyone after a days mulling over the news.

“He’s right. I’m not from your… I’m a different Derek Hale.”

Derek leaned onto the metal table towards Scott and Deaton. Scott rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands as he felt the tiredness of confusion kick in.

“This isn’t making any sense. How can there be two Derek’s?”

Derek sighed as he glanced away from Scott and looked towards the table. He bit his lip and looked back up.

“It was my uncle..”

“Peter?”

Scott interrupted. Derek frowned as the realisation that these strangers knew a lot more about him then he knew of them dawned on him.

“Yes. He betrayed me. Tricked me into becoming apart of his stupid plan for power.”

Derek leaned back as his eyes widen with annoyance. Derek had been through the anger and despair of finding out his uncle had betrayed him. That his uncle, his only family, had thrown him away like garbage to gain power. Of course Derek didn’t know something that Scott and Deaton did. Derek didn’t know truly how terrible his uncle was. Truly how awful he was. And what he had done to gain power.

“He was going on and on about me killing him on the other side. Something about him needing to create a rift. Something about having to cross over so that he can gain the ultimate power. I’m not entirely sure. I just remember him casting this weird spell and then next thing I know I wake up here surrounded by people I don’t know.”

Derek’s expression fell as the pain of his past washed over him. He hadn’t realised what pain would be caused by him leaving. By him being there. He didn’t realise that the other Derek had so much of an impact on this world. He hadn’t realised.

“I ran away…”

Derek paused and took a deep breath. He hadn’t realised till Deaton told him.

“…trying to find my home that was when Deaton found me.”

Scott frowned as he tried to understand what Derek was saying. As he began to realise what him and Deaton were telling him.

“Derek is in an alternate universe. A universe where he doesn’t know me, you or any of us. We do not exist in his world.”

Scott felt a twinge of pain rush through his body as he realised that this Derek that stood with them didn’t know who they were. Didn’t know who Stiles was.

“Stiles.”

Scott whispered unintentionally. Derek looked up shocked. A wave of recognition washed over his face at the mention of the name. At the mention of Stiles.

“Stiles?”

Derek whispered under his breath as the wave of recognition began to reignite memories in his mind. Memories, that if had a material feel, he would have fondly stroked his fingers across them.

“I know him.”

Derek sighed as an ache spread through his chest.

“I don’t know why but I just have a rush of memories I never remember having of that Stiles boy. Your Derek must have a very strong connection with him if his memories are transferring through the rift.”

Scott frowned at the mention of the rift again. This was all so much to take in at once. Were they really caught up in some sort of dimensional universe thing? It all seemed a little far fetched and confusing. But it seemed believable. After everything they had been through another universe could fit in somewhere. And this Derek was very believable.

“So what are we supposed to do?”

Scott questioned as he felt his chest tighten. This was going to be difficult both physically and mentally.

“Well I suppose first we should start researching.”

Deaton responding wearing an expression of care and reassurance that everything will be okay. Even though he wasn’t so sure.

*****

_Derek raised an eyebrow in annoyance as he looked at Stiles across the room. Stiles sat with his legs bashing against the metal cabinets of the vets back room as he leaned against the cold wall. He was gradually warming it up with his excessive body heat. He nervous twitched his fingers and glanced up and down Derek before settling on his gorgeous eyes. He felt nervous. He had clearly just made a stupid comment and Derek was going to respond with annoyance._

_“I have more in common with a dog than I have with you.”_

_Derek snapped a little harsher than he had expected. Stiles had pissed him off a little. Stiles pretended like he knew so much about Derek but he knew nothing. He was just a stupid kid that got on his nerves that pissed him off._

_“I love dogs. I’ve always loved dogs.”_

_Stiles laughed as he clapped his hands together and bit at his lip. He tried to lift the tension in the air surrounding him and Derek but it did something else._

_Derek stared at Stiles a frown sitting comfortably on his face. But something inside him twisted. Something inside him turned. Something changed. The irritancy and the feeling of anger towards Stiles suddenly made sense but not in the way Derek had thought. Not because Stiles was stupid or immature. No. Stiles was smart and brilliant. Stiles was… Derek felt Stiles’ words sink into his skin. Heating him up. As he felt his cheeks warming he felt his cheeks tightening as his lips moved up as his glare softened as his heart warmed. Derek was smiling. He was smiling at Stiles. And he couldn’t think of anything better._

_Scratching the back his neck Derek’s lips slowly parted to reveal his teeth as the smile on his face grew. As the happiness in his chest spread. He glanced down at his feet before taking a finally glance at Stiles. He sighed and turn towards the door, exiting the vets leaving Stiles by himself._

_Stiles kept his awkward smirk until the door closed behind Derek leaving him alone. He felt the tension stab into his chest. He was an idiot. He was so stupid. Why had he said such a thing? Why had he meant such a thing? Stiles rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes._

_“I love dogs?”_

_He felt so stupid. Of course some of what he was insinuating was true. He did love Derek. He had done since he had met him in the woods. He remembered the surge of shivers running through his body as Derek had approached them but he had never told Derek. And he doubted he ever would. But saying something like. That was very close and very stupid._

_“God, I love dogs.”_

_Stiles sighed as he leant back into the wall. This was hard. Pretending you didn’t care. It was hard._

_*****_

Derek brushed himself down as if he was trying to brush away the nerves. He clicked his knuckles and slowly looked up at his uncle. His innocent uncle who could harm him. Or so he was being deceived. He took a deep breath and slowly approached the glass door of the local vets. A ding echoed through the building.

“I will be with you shortly.”

A voice echoed from the back of the shop. Derek looked up but only saw a door that went out into the back. It was only him and Peter stood in the reception room, waiting, breathing, building tension. Derek ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves. Peter and Derek had been looking through the files for days trying to work out how they were to investigate this further. How they were supposed to find out how Derek was linked to Stiles. They eventually decided that the best starting point was the vet that was good friends with the boy known as Scott McCall. They had strong inklings he was a Druid Emissary or at least Peter did so Derek followed his lead.

“Sorry for the wait, how may I help…”

Deaton entered into the reception and looked up at Derek. His glance passed over to Peter but soon flicked back towards Derek. Was this really happening? After everything this town had been through these two were now becoming apart of it.

“Hale.”

Derek was taken a back at the recognition that was spread across the vets face. How the hell did he know who they were? Was it just him and Peter that were unaware of their connection? Were they under a memory spell?

“I am assuming it is Derek and Peter Hale.”

Peter raised an eyebrow which gave Deaton the reassurance he needed. These two were here to make trouble.

“The last two Hales of the infamous werewolf family from Beacon Hills.”

Derek felt a spasm in his chest as Deaton spoke of him with a tweak of acknowledgement.

“What do you want?”

Peter growled under his breath before Derek jarred him in the ribs warning him to be nice. Peter coughed then smirked with a cynicism that Deaton could sense was going to be more than trouble.

“You should learn to get some manners.”

Peter spat as he took a seat and crossed his legs. Derek looked down at him before slowly glancing back towards Deaton.

“We aren’t here to cause trouble.”

Deaton scoffed as the concept of the Hales not bringing trouble didn’t sit well with him.

“Trouble follows you where ever you go. Just tell me what you want.”

Derek frowned as the reality of what Deaton said soaked into his mind. It was true terrible things had happened to their family. And it was true that most people that were around them became endangered. But he had never realised. Never thought about the idea that it was their fault. It was true. Trouble followed the Hales like a bad odour.

“You’re an emissary, right?”

Deaton’s eyebrow furrowed as he realised that the youngest may not be here to cause trouble. He didn’t want to help because his uncle was clearly here to cause havoc but he knew that Derek was pure. He was here for a valid reason. A reason of the heart. Sighing he gave in to his inner father.

“I am. So I am assuming your problem is of supernatural nature.”

“Would you say dreaming of a friend of yours as supernatural nature?”

Peter spoke out bitterly. He didn’t enjoy the company of this Deaton. Deaton was too good. Deaton was too knowing.

“Dreaming of who?”

Deaton took a step forward as his intrigue grew. This was becoming more interesting and it may not be a good thing.

“Stiles.”

Derek whispered as the agony in his chest wavered. Deaton looked up in shock. That word. That name. It hadn’t been muttered in four years. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t thought about it. About him.

“He’s dead.”

Deaton felt the words slip from his mouth. He hadn’t thought about it. At least he didn’t think he had thought about it.

“How do you know Stiles?”

Derek scratched and rubbed at the back of his neck as he built up the courage to say the words that bubbled in his chest.

“I don’t. All I know is that I am in love with a stranger from my dreams that is supposed to be dead.”


	7. Heart Wrenching

_Stiles cranked the wrench desperately trying to fix his car for what must have been the hundredth time since he got it. He hadn’t been himself lately and Scott could sense that. Everyone could sense that. It was understandable but Scott was worried Stiles was going to bottle it up and sooner than later explode. He watched as Stiles gripped tightly at the tool indenting it into his skin. Stiles stared at the car part trying desperately not to think._

_“Do you wanna talk about it?”_

_Stiles threw his hand aside as if he had been shocked with electricity. He was unharmed except his mind was reeling. Reeling with emotions and thoughts he didn’t want. Exclaiming as if Scott had been pestering him about it for weeks. Stiles leant slightly against the car as he looked back towards Scott._

_“Talk about it? No. What’s there to talk about?”_

_Stiles could feel the emotions rising in his stomach. Rising up his chest. Into his throat. He felt like throwing up but had nothing material to throw up. He breathed heavily as his eyes began to water. He was getting emotional and the one brimming at the top was anger. Not towards Scott or anyone to be honest except maybe himself. He was angry because he cared too much._

_He sighed hoping the conversation was over and turned back towards the car. He grabbed tightly at the wrench and began cranking, hard. His back was beginning to hurt and his shoulders ached. He was over-exerted but he didn’t want to stop. He was tired but he didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to forget. And with time hopefully he would._

_“Derek.”_

_Stiles cranked down the wrench when the name slipped into his ear and out the other. His heart skipped a beat. His breath hitched. He looked up in front of him at what was surrounding him._

_They were on an empty dirt round in the middle of a forest. Trees surrounded them blocking out any sign of streets or houses. Any sign of life apart from him and Scott. They were isolated and vulnerable in more than one sense. If they were attacked they had no means of escape except deeper into the darkening woods._

_Stiles breathed slowly as he took a hold of the wrench and began to crank away at the car again but something was different now. He was thinking. Side tracked by his emotions. Again they were getting in the way. Mixing things up. Making things confusing. He pushed and pushed but it wasn’t working. He wasn’t working._

_Scott could see the pain in Stiles’ movements. He could feel it. His worry was deepening as he watched his friend crazily work at a broken car. He watched his friend crazily work at a broken person. Stiles slowed as he leaned back. He ran his oily fingers through his hair and rested his head on the bonnet of the car. His hands holding his head down. His arms shielding his face. He was broken and Scott, nobody could fix him._

_“Stiles?”_

_Scott barked as he tried to coax his friend out of his depressive bubble. Stiles threw his head up and breathed heavily. His hands were shaking. His body was buzzing. Buzzing with anger. Anger towards himself. He clenched his teeth._

_“Yes. Okay? What do you want me to say, Scott?”_

_Scott straightened his back. He was shocked. Stiles had gotten angry before. Many times before but this was different. This time he was more than angry. He was sad. Scott watched Stiles spit out the words reeling from his brain. Watched as his pain became words._

_“That I’m crazy in love with Derek Hale? That he’s disappeared ever since New York? That I miss him?”_

_Stiles glanced sideways but didn’t have the courage, the power to look at Scott head on. He was breaking at the seams and didn’t have the materials to pull himself back together again. He felt alone, afraid and lost. He had lost the one thing he needed to keep him safe and sane. He was losing everything._

_“None of this is new information.”_

_Stiles barked as he finally stood up straight on his legs and squared up to Scott. His breathing was erratic and his heart was beating so fast he couldn’t feel it anymore. He felt like crying or was it throwing up. He wasn’t sure. Scott looked unfazed and calm. He looked Stiles in the eyes and breathed slowly. He tried to calm Stiles without saying a word._

_“You should tell him.”_

_Scott had thought the words would help. He had thought that by encouraging Stiles they would get somewhere. Somewhere Stiles could get better and Derek would return. But they didn’t help. They made it worse._

_Because Stiles had told Derek. Stiles had told Derek a million times. Stiles had phoned him, searched for him, he had done everything in his power and Derek was still missing. He clenched his fist before loosening it and slapping it against the bonnet of the car. He grunted with annoyance as he grabbed the wrench and began to crank._

_But the anger was too much. He bubbled up in his chest. He bubbled in his blood stream into his hand. He gripped tightly at the wrench until it hurt. Roaring with pain he threw his hand up and away from the car. Biting back the swear words on his tongue._

_“It wouldn’t change anything.”_

_He whispered almost incoherently. He breathed heavily as he stared at the broken car knowing full well it was a metaphor for himself. A metaphor for his mental health. A metaphor for his relationship with Derek. A metaphor for him and it was broken beyond repair._

*****

Scott stared blankly at the computer screen leaning on his crossed fingers. He remembered that night like it was yesterday. Like he had just been through it. He knew as soon as it happened that he could never forget it. Forget the night that Stiles gave up. Gave up on happiness. Gave up on himself.

After that Stiles gave up on the car. He phoned his dad and they got a lift back home. His dad towing the car behind them. Stiles never tried to fix the car instead he sold the broken parts and bought a new one with the money he earned. It was at that point everyone knew. Everyone knew now that Stiles had gone and a new vacant shell of his former self stood in his place. His new car was nice, shiny and comfortable but it wasn’t the Jeep. It wasn’t Stiles.

Scott took a deep, closed his eyes and rubbed tenderly over the lids. He been researching for what felt like days but had merely been hours. The other Derek sat opposite him scratching at the back of his head as he flicked through a large creaky old book with browning pages and a hard burgundy cover. Deaton was by the stove making some food and drinks for the three of them.

They had moved into Scott’s house to do the research after they had picked up a few books from Deaton’s place and the library. Scott was on computer duty whilst Deaton and Derek went through the never ending pile of books. Scott felt like they had exhausted every source but Derek refused to give up. It was unusual. This stranger had come into their lives and yet he refused to give up on them. Scott couldn’t work it out. He knew it wasn’t because he wanted to get back. He had no one back in his universe. His uncle had betrayed him and his friends were dead. There was no one but him. But he refused to stop. He wanted to go back. No he wanted to bring their Derek back.

“Have you told Stiles about me?”

The other Derek questioned not lifting his gaze from the book in front him. However, he wasn’t reading the pages anymore. He was waiting. He was thinking. Thinking about Stiles. Scott frowned towards the question as he thought. No he hadn’t told Stiles and he didn’t want to. If he told Stiles, it would complicate things not for them but for him. In all honesty Scott didn’t know how Stiles would react and he was too worried to test it out.

“How do you feel about Stiles?”

Scott questioned not actually answering Derek’s question. Derek finally looked up from his book towards Scott. His emotions brimming.

He had thought about it a lot whilst he was running. How he felt about Stiles and what he would do if he saw him. He knew that he didn’t know Stiles and he knew that he wasn’t Stiles’ Derek but he wanted to be. Even though he could never he wanted to be Stiles’ Derek. He wanted Stiles.

And when he realised that he realised that their Derek’s love for Stiles had passed through the rift. That his love was unbreakable. That he was undeniably also in love with Stiles. In love with a boy he had never met. Never even known existed until this horrible situation. But the love that their Derek had given him made it a little more bearable. Made this situation a little better. And for that reason he couldn’t give up. He had to fight to get their Derek back so that their Derek could be with Stiles. So that Stiles would be happy. That was what would make him happy.

“I… I…”

*****

Stiles patted himself down as he grabbed hold of the wrench that sat on the table next to his car. The small table was covered with different sized wrenches and allsorts of different tools needed to fix his car up. He had had the car for awhile now. Whenever he was having a bad day he would back the car up into his garage and mess around with the nuts and bolts till he felt better. But today was different.

Stiles looked up at the calendar hanging from his wall. The date was circled in red pen as it was on every calendar that Stiles had ever bought. He knew deep down he should memorise the date. He knew he shouldn’t remind himself but he couldn’t help it. The pain dug so deeply into his chest that circling the date on the calendar was the only thing he felt normal about.

The date was 13th February. The same date as two years ago when Stiles saw Derek for the last time. The day Derek disappeared and left him behind.

Stiles clenched onto the wrench and took a deep breath. He dropped to his knees and slid under the car. Music blasted through the garage drowning out everything. All the sounds and feelings surrounding Stiles. Drowning Stiles in music. He took a slow and deep breath and smiled. He began to crank away at the bolts on his car.

*****

The garage vibrated with music that slowly faded into silence. Stiles wiped across his forehead as sweat dripped from his pours. The room fell silent for seconds before slowly and quietly the next song reared its head. Drifting in over the silence came the distinctive notes of a song Stiles could never forget. A song Stiles kept forgetting to remove from his playlists.

Slowly drifting in came the gorgeous guitar of Oscar Isaac’s Fare Thee Well. Stiles frowned as the tune slowly sunk into his soul. Taking a deep breath, he felt tears slowly dripping from his eyes. He dropped the wrench and wiped at his face frantically. He quickly slid himself out from underneath the car and charged towards his iPod. Tapping harshly on the screen he stopped the music. He stared at the iPod blankly as the emotions he was trying to avoid rushed in.

He breathed in. His breathe wavered as he fought back the urge to scream. But he was weak. Clenching his fists Stiles screamed out in agony towards his iPod. He spun on his feet so that he was facing his car. He charged towards it picking up a wrench as he went. Wielding the wrench in his fist he brought it down with a crash onto the bonnet of his car.

Stiles went crazy. He threw his arms around angrily as he tore his car to pieces. He pulled off the wind mirrors. He smashed the windows. He dented to bonnet. He scratched the paint. He burst the tires. He kicked and screamed out in pain as he tried to relieve himself of it.

But his pain was too much. He kicked out at the jack holding the car up. Oil was covering the floor and Stiles slipped. As the car slipped. With a loud crash and a scream of agony the car fell onto Stiles leg crushing it. Stiles frantically crashed about trying to pull himself out or reach something to help him but everything was just slightly too far out of reach. Stiles was trapped and as usual in pain.

*****

Derek lurched forward clutching at the pain in his leg. Deaton and Peter frowned as Derek slowly and painfully leaned back into his chair. He looked up at the two of them pain sewn into his face.

“Are you okay?”

Deaton questioned as he placed the cups of coffee onto the table in front of them. They were sat in the reception room of the New Yorker vets where they had met Deaton the emissary helping them to figure out why Derek was dreaming of their dead friend. Derek sucked in a breath as he rubbed tenderly along his leg. He looked up at Deaton and nodded.

“I just feel like something is wrong. Like I need to be somewhere. Need to be there for someone.”

Peter and Deaton frowned with confusion as Derek breathed heavily. He knew what he was talking about. He felt like something was wrong with Stiles. Like something terrible had happened to him but he couldn’t be there physically to help him. That he needed to get to Stiles. He needed to get him to the hospital. He needed to help him. But of course that was absurd. Stiles was dead.

“How did this Stiles kid die again? The reports say it was an animal attack but we both know that isn’t true.”

Peter sneered, baring his teeth at Deaton. Warning him to be careful how he treads. Deaton cleared his throat as he took a seat with the Hales. He was cautious with his every word. With his every move. With his every thought. But he still worried that he would get hurt or worse one of the kids would.

“It is true that it wasn’t any normal animal that killed Stiles.”

Deaton took a large gulp from his coffee as he prepared himself to tell the story. The story of Stiles’ death. A story that haunted all of them every night in their dreams.

“We never saw it coming. It was just another normal day searching for trouble for those kids. We never knew it would end this badly…

*****

_Stiles’ whole body shook with fear as he slowly got out of his Jeep. He slowly and silently closed the door behind him and stared up at the creepy house. The house where every single murder had occurred. The same house the same murder. Each person was dragged back to this house by some strange means of persuasion and then eaten alive by what the police described as dogs. Stiles knew differently. Stiles leaned back against his car as he reached in nervously and pulled out a large metal baseball bat._

_People always questioned why Stiles had a baseball bat as his choice of weapon. It was what had lead the others to decipher that it was he that had been possessed by the Nogitsune all those years ago. He supposed that they just had never realised. Stiles loved to play ball with his dad when he was younger and had grown better at it as he grew older. He was never any good at lacrosse but baseball was his calling he just never followed it seriously. And anyway when it came to defending himself he was very pleased to bash someone’s head in if needed._

_He gripped tightly at the handle of the bat as he slowly approached the house. His nerves were taking over his body as he shook like crazy. He knew that he could have asked Scott to come or his dad or anyone but he felt useless and powerless compared to the others so this one time he wanted to try something different._

_He couldn’t work out why he was so scared just that he was. As he slowly broke the police tape and twisted the door handle the wind howled behind him. The door creaked open to reveal the humming darkness of the hallway. Stiles took a deep breath, gripped tighter onto his bat and stepped into the house._

_The house was covered in splatters of blood and police tape. The walls were scratched to almost nothing from not just animal claws but human finger nails as the captures clearly tried to escape. The room Stiles stood in was pitch black. The shadows creating figures in the darkness. He flicked the light on as if expecting someone to be there. He was alone._

_He looked around the room as if searching for clues. Searching for something the police had missed. But there was nothing to find. Only Stiles._

_A screamed echoed through the hallways and into the room Stiles stood surrounding him with an agonizing picture of a girl being torn to pieces. Stiles frantically looked around himself trying to decipher where the noise was coming from but there was nothing. Nothing but Stiles. The screams disappeared in the wind and Stiles was left alone in the dimly lit room. He breathed deeply as gripped at his bat pulling it closely to his chest._

_Suddenly he felt the rush of a breath down his neck. Stiles spun round throwing his bat out away from his chest readying himself for a fight he wasn’t put up for. Only shadows stood in front of him. Shadows of nothing real. Or so he thought._

_Claws wrapped round Stiles’ neck throwing him to the floor. Stiles stared wide eyed at the wolf like creature that straddled him to the ground. He let go of the bat and frantically bashed and scratched at the creature desperately trying to free himself but nothing was working. He kicked his legs around trying to catch something. Trying to throw him off but the creature was set. He had his eyes on his next meal and he was starving._

_The claws gripped round Stiles’ neck were loose but gradually they began to tighten. To trap. To suffocate. Stiles gasped for air as he became breathless and frantic. Why hadn’t he asked anyone to come with him? Why had he decided that he could be powerful? Why had he thought he could, he needed to do this alone?_

_He stared fearfully into the eyes of the creature. Into the eyes of his killer._

_Suddenly Scott burst through the doors screaming Stiles’ name. Screaming for his life. Stiles grabbed at the claws round his neck as they began to dig into his skin. Before either of them could do anything. Before either of them could attempt a rescue the creature clenched his fist. Ripping. Tearing. Killing Stiles. Blood trickled off the creature’s hands onto Stiles’ face. Stiles pure innocent face. His empty, lifeless face. A pool of blood soaked the floor underneath them. The creature stared up at Scott waiting for his attack._

_Scott felt the anger in his chest rise as he body transformed into its wolf shape. He charged for the creature with anger not thought. The creature jumped up and slashed its bloody claws across Scott’s chest catching Stiles chest as well._

_Scott roared out in pain as he fell backwards next to Stiles’ lifeless body. It suddenly hit. It hit him hard. He was fighting against this creature for Stiles. But Stiles was gone. Stiles was dead and this creature took his life. Scott wasn’t fighting to save Stiles anymore. He was fighting to kill._

_He lurched forward body slammed the creature through the weak walls into the darkness of the rooms behind. He kept pushing until he hit solid ground. Until he was atop of the creature. He threw out his claws and frantically slashed them side to side across the creature’s body until the creature stopped fighting back._

_He didn’t know how he did it or if he could do it again but the anger that had built up inside in after he saw his life long friend dead on the floor had pushed him. Pushed him to kill. Kill for the first time._

_Slowly Scott got to his feet. He walked through the hole in the wall towards Stiles. Towards what was left of Stiles._

_He stood over the body, staring into the hollow eyes of his friend. The once gorgeously bright and amazed eyes of his friend. The agony and fear of his lose fell onto Scott’s shoulder’s pushing him to his knees. Pushing him to the floor._

_He slowly slipped his arms under Stiles’ body pulling him closer. Pulling him in. As if desperately trying to revive him with his warmth and love. But nothing could fix this. Nothing could make this better. From here it could only get worse._

_The only thing Scott could think about was how. How was he supposed to tell Stiles’ father that the last light of his life had been snuffed because he didn’t help his friend? How?_

_Scott bowed his head resting it a top of Stiles’ bloody one and cried. Roared out in pain telling everyone that could hear that Stiles. Stiles had been taken from them._

_Scott turned to look at the dead body of the monster that took their friend but it was gone. Scott looked around frantically but there was nothing there. Just darkness. Scott shouted out in anger. His friend was taken and he hadn’t even been able to take the life of the creature that did it._


	8. Reminisce

_Derek twisted his wrist as he tried to get a better look at the cuffs that trapped him. That cuffed him to the waiting area of the Beacon Hills police station. The station was pretty empty just a few officers passing by as they went out to their jobs but nobody was at the desks. The room was filled with just him, empty desks covered with papers and… Stiles._

_Derek sighed as he looked up at his… well he supposed his boyfriend. They hadn’t yet finalised their relationship but he supposed after this they would need to have a very big talk. He rolled his eyes before looking back down at the cuffs wrapped around his wrists. He tugged slightly as if seeing if he could slip out of them but not to his surprise he couldn’t._

_“Come on, Derek. Stop being such a grump, have some fun. He said.”_

_Derek tried to mimic Stiles’ voice as he tried to comprehend the situation they were in. Stiles looked up from his cuffed hand that attached him to one of the deputy’s desks and gave Derek a hurt expression. He leaned towards Derek pulling slightly on his wrist._

_“Okay this? Totally not my fault.”_

_Stiles felt innocent. He was innocent. He hadn’t done anything wrong and Derek had nothing against him. He turned back towards the cuffs and bending down he tried to loosen them. Derek sighed as he made himself comfortable in his seat on the opposite side of the room from Stiles. Stiles’ father was ruthless he could say that._

_“We will just make out a bit. We won’t get caught. My dad’s deputies have better things to do. He said”_

_Stiles lurched forward onto his feet towards Derek pulling harshly at the cuffs around his wrist. They were beginning to leave red chaffing marks around his wrist from all the moving around his was doing. He felt the pain they were causing him but he ignored it. He looked at Derek a slight twinge of anger and hurt in his eyes but mainly amusement and love._

_“Hey, I’m not the one with the heightened senses. You should’ve heard him.”_

_Derek rolled his eyes and shook his head. Stiles had a point but of course there was a valid reason why he hadn’t heard anyone coming. His senses could be dampened. Dampened when he was distracted. Distracted so much so that there is nothing else but this distraction. And that distraction was Stiles._

_“Well, I tend to get distracted when you have your lips wrapped around my…”_

_“Ohhohohohoohkay.”_

_Stiles pulled desperately at his cuffs as he tried to silence Derek. He felt his skin heating up as he stared at Derek. As he remembered why they had been arrested in the middle of the night by his father. Derek raised an eyebrow towards him. He blamed him slightly but he knew that blame would subside once they got out of this place._

_“…dick, Stiles.”_

_Derek spat out purposefully. He knew it would piss off Stiles but more over it would embarrass him and that’s what he wanted. To embarrass him. Because right now he was feeling the most embarrassed he had ever felt. He still couldn’t quite comprehend how he had managed to get himself arrested by Stiles’ father for being sucked off by his son but he supposed dating Stiles would bring about these kinds of things. Stiles’ skin heated to a point of no return. His face was redder than a fresh market tomato. He stopped pulling at his cuffs and now stood almost leaning against the table to which he was cuffed to. He was breathing slowly, his chest rising and falling as he stared at Derek. Derek smirked. He licked his lips as he looked at his lover cuffed to a table across from him. He knew it wasn’t the place but so did Stiles._

_“Fair point, my blowjobs skills are amazing.”_

_Stiles spoke breathlessly. He sighed as he glanced up and down Derek body._

_Suddenly the Sheriff’s office door swung open as Sheriff Stilinski stepped out. Derek and Stiles both stiffened as they looked round towards him. Fear riddled their body as they awaited their fate. Sheriff Stilinski raised an eyebrow towards his son as he growled under his breathe._

_“You know I can hear you in my office, right?”_

_Stiles’ eyes widened as he realised that his dad had just heard every word the two of them had spoken to each other. Derek glared at Stiles his annoyance become slightly more vicious. Stiles shrugged apologetically as he tried to smile. Sheriff Stilinski wasn’t having any of it. The Sheriff turned towards Derek a key in his hand. Derek sighed with relief as he thought he was being released._

_“I warned you before Mr Hale.”_

_Derek frowned as the Sheriff bent down unlocked the cuffs and helped Derek to his feet. The Sheriff walked towards him then around him until he stood behind him._

_“If you came near my son again I would arrest you.”_

_Derek’s and Stiles’ eyes widened as they realised what the Sheriff was doing. Locking them shut the Sheriff cuffed Derek’s hands behind his back and pushed him forward so that he stumbled. Stiles lurched forward tugging on his cuff drawing blood slightly._

_“Dad, what the hell are you doing?”_

_Derek growled under his breath as he slowly began to blame Stiles entirely for his situation. If they had never met. Or if he had just kept to himself this would never have happened. He would never had been dragged into the mess that is Stiles. But of course he enjoyed the mess that was Stiles and even though he was probably about to be arrested he still loved him and wouldn’t give anything to change what they had._

_“I warned you both…”_

_“Yer when I was under aged. I am eighteen years old dad it is no longer a felony.”_

_Stiles interrupted pulling more at the cuff around his wrist. He was too distracted to notice the pain. To notice the blood beginning to trickle._

_“He is too old for you. And don’t forget he was once a convicted felon.”_

_Derek raised an eyebrow as yet again the mistake the police made years ago when Stiles and Derek first met was yet again being brought up. Derek was convinced the Sheriff had a vendetta against him. Oh wait he did because he was sleeping with his son._

_“An innocent convicted felon.”_

_Derek spat as he slowly turned towards Stiles hinting for him to up the ante and make sure he got him out of this. Stiles glanced at Derek as a single drop of blood fell to the floor._

_“An innocent convicted felon who then started sleeping with an under aged teen.”_

_The Sheriff spat as he gripped tightly to the cuffs around Derek’s wrist. He gradually began to push Derek slowly out towards the cells at the back of the building. Another drop of blood dripped from Stiles’ wrist as he pulled harder against the cuffs. Derek pulled against the Sheriff as the smell of blood flooded his senses._

_“Dad, stop that leave him alone. It isn’t a felony anymore so what is the issue.”_

_Stiles was beginning to beg. He could feel it in his chest. He was begging his dad to stop._

_“He is too old and too dangerous I’m going to make sure you two stay away from each other.”_

_“I don’t want to stay away from him.”_

_Stiles barked back at his dad. Derek felt his skin blush at Stiles’ statement. It felt like a proclamation of love._

_“Stiles you are too young to know what you want.”_

_“I am eighteen, dad. I am not a child anymore. I know what I want.”_

_Stiles was getting riled up and the pain shooting through his arm was definitely an encouragement._

_“Stiles?”_

_“Dad?”_

_The Sheriff looked into his son’s eyes and could see the pain he was causing him. But it was pain Stiles could work through. It was pain that Stiles could get over. It was pain that would make everything better._

_“Look…”_

_“He’s my boyfriend, dad and I love him.”_

_Derek looked round in shock as the words echoed through his head. Stiles had just outright said to another human being that he loved him. He had never heard that before and he had never seen it coming. Of course he knew Stiles loved him but him saying it out loud to another person made it more solid. More real. Stiles loved him. A smile crept up and fitted perfectly onto his face. Derek felt happy even though his hands were in cuffs and he was about to be arrested._

_The Sheriff let go of Derek’s cuffs and stared wide eyed at his son. He knew that they were sleeping together but he had never expected that his son was in love with this lad. In love with Derek. He looked into his son’s eyes and could see the admiration and… love that he had towards Derek. And it shocked him. How was he so oblivious to his son’s emotions?_

_He could remember the first time he had met Stiles’ mother. He remembered how her parents hadn’t thought their relationship was appropriate because of her condition. He remembered how he had fought against them and married her anyway._

_The Sheriff pulled the cuff key from his pocket and released Derek from his confinements. Derek shook off the cuffs and bolted towards Stiles. He ripped the edge of his shirt off and dabbed at Stiles’ wrist. Stiles looked down at him slightly taken aback and slightly warmed by his actions._

_The Sheriff threw the key to Derek who caught it without looking away from Stiles. He unlocked the cuff and wrapped the ripped piece of cloth around Stiles’ wrist covering the wound. He tenderly held the injured wrist in his hands as he breathed a breath of relief that Stiles was okay and he wasn’t getting arrested._

_Stiles pulled his hand up and cupped Derek’s face. Derek looked at Stiles quizzically wondering what his intentions were. Leaning against Derek’s chest as he stood on his tip toes Stiles pulled Derek close and delicately kissed him. Derek shocked and amazed pulled slightly back gave into the moment and kissed Stiles back with more force._

_The Sheriff cleared his throat interrupting the intimate moment. Derek stiffened and looked down at Stiles indicating for him to talk to his dad. Stiles smirked awkwardly as he leaned round Derek so his dad was in his line of sight._

_“So dad…”_

_“You truly love this… Derek?”_

_Stiles coughed. He looked up at Derek allowing his gaze to linger slightly on him for a tad too long then looked back towards his father. He couldn’t say it out loud. Not again. So he nodded in agreement. His dad sighed as he smiled. He was happy for him. He supposed it would take him time to get used to them being together but he was happy. Happy that his son had found someone. Happy that his son was happy._


	9. Valentine's

_Stiles clutched tightly around the large vase as he pressed his back to the office door. Slowly and with a slight creak the door opened signalling his entrance to the occupancy. Stiles took and deep breath and gulped down the lump in his throat. He had nothing to be nervous about. He had done this a thousand times. He had done this just only a week ago. But something was different. Maybe it was the biting thought stuck in the back of his head. That though sent shivers of nerves down his back as he turned to face the desk in the room. The thought of what he was going to do tonight. The thought of what he was going to say._

_Derek looked up from his desk and caught the eye of Stiles. He frowned and opened his mouth to talk but Stiles cut him off. Today was a special day and he was going to take control._

_“These are for you.”_

_He almost whispered from behind the flowers as his nerves kicked into play again. He slowly placed the flowers gently onto Derek’s and stared at them. His fingers lingering around the vase, shaking, waiting for Derek to say something. Anything._

_“Is that a joke? Who are they from?”_

_Stiles felt the nerves kick against his ribs in response to Derek’s comment. Derek raised and eyebrow waiting for an answer. Stiles brushed his fingers gently against the vase as he straightened his back and took a step away from the flowers, from the desk, from Derek. He kept his eyes on the flowers, too afraid to look away._

_“Not a joke, they’re from me.”_

_Stiles spluttered his words getting trapped in his chest. Derek looked up from his distraction and stared wide-eyed and Stiles, a sudden realisation falling over him. He fiddled with his fingers as his skin slowly heated into a blush. Scratching at his neck he turned his gaze away from Stiles who still hadn’t found the courage to look at him._

_“You bought me flowers?”_

_Derek looked at the wall then to his feet before slowly gazing back up at Stiles hoping he would be looking back too. Stiles took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did, before tilting his head up and looking at Derek. It was like a wave of relaxation washed over him when he saw Derek’s face. The tender smirk in the corner of his mouth as he watched the flowers sway slightly from Stiles’ breath. The soft eyes that watched him with adoration. It was all this that told him, everything was going to be alright. He would have the courage he needed to do what he wanted._

_“Yeah. It’s Valentine’s Day and so this is my grand romantic gesture to you. Or something.”_

_Stiles fidgeted on his feet as he watched Derek’s smirk turn into a smile. Derek wasn’t really one for grand gestures of love and neither was Stiles but the sudden surprise and change made Derek happy. He supposed one grand romantic gesture a year couldn’t harm him. Stiles gulped as his courage came back._

_“We can talk about it over dinner tonight. Sound good?”_

_Derek chuckled under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair. Smiling with a genuine glee he didn’t even know he had he looked back up at Stiles and nodded. He couldn’t even express words all he could think was Stiles. Stiles that stupid boy he fell in love with. Stiles that silly idiot that bought him flowers on Valentine’s Day. Stiles that wonderful sod that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with._

_Stiles sighed with relief as he smiled. In a rush he jumped on his tip toes as he slowly backed out of the room. Frantically waving his arms around, clapping and clicking he reached the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened the door and exited but not before he smiled and said something about seeing him tonight. He was nervous. Of course he was. Tonight was the night he was going to tell Derek he loved him._

*****

Stiles clutched desperately at the covers surrounding. Desperately clutching onto a memory he didn’t wanted to forget or leave. Slowly the dream disappeared into the darkness of his mind. The darkness began to misshapen into figures, wall and electronics. Stiles blinked his eyes as he woke up and looked around himself.

He was lying in a bed with thin messy sheets covering him. The cold whitewashed walls surrounding him made him feel queasy as did the horrific smell of cleaning products. Beeping next to him was a machine watching his heart rate. On the other side was a tube protruding from his arm connected to a plastic bag filled with morphine. Stiles frowned. He was very confused.

“Where am I?”

Stiles muttered quietly his voice not yet restored to him. The sheriff, who had a phone held to his ear rushed over to Stiles. Stiles tried to push himself up into a sitting position but he felt dizzy and confused. His legs felt numb which made it impossible to move. His father whispered something down the phone before hanging up and taking a seat next to his son.

“What the hell is going on?”

Stiles was beginning to get frustrated. He couldn’t move properly and he didn’t understand what was going on. His father took a deep breath as the worry lines on his face deepened. Stiles looked up worry beginning to seep in.

“You were in an accident.”

Stiles frowned. His dad bowed his head and scratched at his head. Stiles down at his legs. He fiddled with the covers of the bed before looking back up at his dad.

“I know. I dropped my car on my leg. But how did I get here?”

The sheriff frowned.

“You mean you don’t remember?”

Stiles sighed with annoyance. His father was being pretty useless.

“No. I must have passed out due to the stress. The last thing I remember was trying to reach for my phone on my garage floor.”

Stiles raised his eyebrows as if waiting for his father to explain. Explain to him how he had come over to check on him as usual and he found him unconscious on the floor so called an ambulance. But his father didn’t. He just frowned as if he were expecting a different explanation from Stiles.

“Well that is a shame. I wanted to send a thank you card to whoever found you. I suppose we might not find out who they were.”

Stiles tried to sit up but his upper body strength wasn’t enough.

“Nobody saw who brought me in?”

The sheriff raised an eyebrow as he thought.

“Well the lady in reception did. Said he was tall, broad shoulder, dark hair but he didn’t give a name and once he knew you were going to be alright he left. He left before I even arrived.”

Stiles’ eyes drifted to the side as he thought over the description. _Tall._ _Broad Shoulders. Dark Hair._ The words spun round Stiles head repeating over and over again. He could only think of one person. But it couldn’t possibly be him.

“Derek?”

The sheriff turned to his son and frowned. He sighed with sorrow. His son was back on the crazy Derek wagon that he had so hoped he had abandoned. Derek had been gone for so long now that it seemed impossible for him to return. He either didn’t want to return or he couldn’t. Either way Stiles needed to move on. But every opportunity that came up Stiles would always go back to him.

“Can we check the CCTV?”

The sheriff rolled his eyes and sighed. Stiles would do anything to prove that Derek was still around and still cared.

“No. We don’t need to. You are safe and in good health that is all we need.”

Stiles got the hint. He needed to drop the subject. He huffed and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.

“Yer I suppose.”

The sheriff smiled. Stiles smiled back awkwardly. His eyes drifted down to the blankets covering his legs. He was slightly afraid to look. Slightly afraid to pull back the covers and see. See the damage he caused himself. The damage he caused this time around. His father watched him. He looked down at his legs as well and breathed in.

“They say that is a miracle you didn’t injure yourself more incurably. The car landed on your leg and snapped the bone. It splintered spraying bone shards all over the place on the inside of your leg. And oil managed to get everywhere. All on the inside of the wound. They had to take you into surgery straight away. Your going to be okay. Just might need some physiotherapy and a lot of pain killers.”

Stiles frowned. If every thing was going to be okay why couldn’t he feel his legs. Why couldn’t he move. Were their predictions wrong. Was he going to be disabled forever. Was he going to lose his legs.

“That’s what your on at the moment. They said that you shouldn’t move around too much until the bone has healed a bit. So they gave you some really strong pain killers so that you won’t be able to move.”

Startled Stiles arches back. His dad chuckles. Giving him a helping hand he pulls Stiles up into a sitting position. Stiles pulls back the covers to reveal his plaster casted leg bulging next his other skinny pale leg. He chuckled as a twinge of happiness filled him up.

“You could have started with that.”

His dad smiled as he began to laugh. Stiles scratched at his head and shook in disapproval. His dad was a good story teller and knew exactly how to scare the life out of him.

Stiles looked around the room and then back at his dad. A thought lingered in his mind. A thought he hadn’t realised until now.

“Dad? What’s the date?”

His dad looked over and frowned. He chuckled as he looked down at his phone and then back at his son.

“It is the 14th.”

Stiles’ breath hitched. Of course it was the fourteenth. It made sense. Why else would he have been dreaming about his and Derek’s first Valentine’s together if it weren’t the fourteenth. He ran his finger up and down his numb leg as he thought. Three years today Derek disappeared. Disappeared the day before Valentine’s. No wonder he hated the commercial holiday.


	10. Rift Breaking

The phone’s ring echoed through Stiles’ mind. He waited for the click to tell him that he had connected to the other end but nothing came. He had been trying to call Scott for the past hour and so far nothing had gotten through. He sat in his hospital bed staring at the blank white washed walls lost in thought. How was he supposed to clear things up if Scott didn’t pick up his phone?

“Hey this is Scott. I can’t get to the phone right now so leave a message after the beep.”

Stiles threw the phone across the bed. It hung dangerously close to the edge almost falling off. He sighed with an annoyance that he desperately wanted to free himself of but until he was released from the hospital there was nothing he could do.

“For fuck sake.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and threw them forward in an angry fit of rage. He hated hospitals for this very reason. He couldn’t help anyone else.

*****

Scott paced backwards and forwards in the vets back room. Deaton walked in and frowned as he watched Scott for a few moments pacing around the room.

“Scott pacing isn’t going to help.”

Scott stopped in his tracks and looked towards Deaton. He lurched towards him looking over his shoulder with a desperate expression.

“Have you found him yet?”

Deaton shrugged his shoulders and frowned. Whilst they had been researching a couple of days before the other Derek had gotten up and disappeared. They later found out that Stiles had been in an accident and a mysterious tall, broad shouldered, dark haired stranger had saved him. Deaton and Scott knew exactly who it was. They had been searching for Derek ever since and had yet to get any luck.

“It’s very hard to keep avoiding Stiles. Once he gets released from the hospital he is going to come straight for us. We need to find Derek before Stiles does.”

Deaton nodded his head in agreement but saying it was a lot harder than doing it. So far they had spent hours searching for Derek and hadn’t had any luck. He had disappeared for over three years with out a trace so Deaton doubted that if Derek didn’t want to be found then he wouldn’t be.

Scott sighed with defeat. He slumped into the chair behind him and buried his face into his hands. He tried to think of something positive but every scenario just ended in hurting Stiles and that wasn’t what he wanted to do. He threw his arms into the arm.

“Why did Stiles have to go and get himself into trouble.”

*****

Stiles fidgeted in his bed trying to push himself round and out of the bed. He was given a complimentary wheelchair during his stay in the hospital. It meant he could go explore but wouldn’t need to use his legs. They were very adamant about him not using his legs. He clumsily dropped himself into the wheelchair without any help. He chuckled with victory. Pulling his morphine bag close next to him he wheeled towards the door.

He reached for the handle and opened the door. He looked left and right and wheeled through the doorway and down the corridor. A man leaning against the reception desk slowly lifted his head and looked towards Stiles, watching him disappear round the corner. Pulling down his cap and hood he followed after him.

Stiles skidded to a stop outside the security office. He knew that in this room was the security footage for the Hospital. That in this room was the video of him being brought in. That in this room was the evidence he needed to tell him whether Derek was still alive.

He looked around trying to spot if anyone was coming before trying the door. It was locked as he expected. Lucky for him he knew how to pick a lock. The guy from the reception turned round the corner stopping merely centimetres away from Stiles. He froze to the spot sucking in his breath. He darted his eyes around trying desperately to think of a plan.

He gulped down the lump in his throat. Pulling himself together he tugged down his hood and tried to sneak past Stiles. Stiles spotted him as he walked past.

“Hey excused me do you have a tissue.”

The guy froze still holding tightly to his hood trying to cover his face. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned round towards Stiles trying to hide his face. With his other hand he dug around in his pocket and pulled out a packet of tissues. He passed it to Stiles and try to back away without being noticed. Stiles looked at the packet and smiled. He looked up at the guy and smiled opening his mouth to thank him.

Just as he looks up so does the guy. They stared into each others eyes realising the recognition. Under the hat and hood hiding was the other Derek with an expression of fear and worry carved into his skin. Stiles stared wide-eyed at Derek as the recognition slowly sunk into his mind.

“Sorry.”

Derek shouted as he disappeared round the corner out of Stiles distance. Stiles gripped tightly to the tissue packet and wheeled as fast as he could round the corner but when he looked up there was no one there. The Derek he thought he had seen had disappeared. Disappeared like the last one. Stiles growled under his breath and clenched his fist. This gave him more of a reason to know. More of a reason to break into the security office and watch the security tapes. He had to know and nobody was going to get in his way.

*****

Scott rubbed tenderly at his temples as the blaring light of his laptop reflected off his face. Deaton walked in with two cups of tea placing them on the table next to Scott. Scott sighed as he lifted his head and took a cup. He sipped cautiously at the hot liquid. He stared at the screen and sighed.

The door to the back of the vets swung open creaking and echoing throughout the whole of the vets. Scott and Deaton looked up. They guarded themselves ready for anyone or thing to enter and come at them. To their surprise it was the other Derek.

The door slowly opened as Derek entered covered in dirt and dust. Scott and Deaton frowned as they got their feet. Derek grimaced as he took a seat next to Scott. Scott slightly taken aback pushed his cup of tea towards Derek. Derek looked at the cup and with a single gulped drank the whole thing.

“Sorry I disappeared. I had to make sure he was okay.”

Scott and Deaton sighed as they sat back down in their seats. They knew that Derek had most probably gone after Stiles. They knew he was probably in the vicinity of the hospital but they never found him. But he was back now which meant they could get back to work. They could resolve the issue of his presences.

“I found something whilst I was out.”

Scott and Deaton turned towards Derek. They leaned in. Derek pulled a few scrap pieces of paper from his jacket pocket and scattered them across the table. He rummaged through them trying to find what ever he was looking for. After a few moments he picked up three scrap sheets and passed them to Scott. Scott skimmed over the first sheet before passing it onto Deaton.

“It says that you can communicate across the rift. That by using a this…”

Derek picked up another sheet from the scattered pile and passed it to Scott.

“…this spell then you can… I suppose pass over the rift.”

Scott skims over the sheet then looks up at Derek. Turning his gaze to Deaton he passes him the sheet.

“Where did you find this?”

Scott questioned. He knew that they should trust the other Derek but he couldn’t help being cautious. The other Derek grimaced. He scratched the back of his head. He understood why they wouldn’t trust him. He was a stranger in their world. Which was why he needed to get back and soon.

“That book I was looking in earlier. Turns out it was useful.”

Scott raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He supposed that at least one of their resources was going to end well. He just supposed it would have been him or Deaton that found it. Scott turned towards Deaton and raised his shoulders in question.

“Well it seems pretty simple. The only issue I have is it could be really dangerous. And we need something that has passed through the drift in order for it to work.”

“What do you mean? We’ve got the other Derek. He’s passed through the drift.”

Deaton sighed. He wished it was that easy but it was clear that Scott had just skimmed the sheet. He reread the words before replying.  
“It states that when you pass through the drift it is your soul not your physical body. So this is our Derek’s body with other Derek’s soul in it. It doesn’t count.”

Scott sighed slumping into his chair with defeat. Deaton turned the piece of paper over in his hands but it was only a scrap piece of paper that Derek had written on. He could have missed a small piece of information but Deaton doubted it. Derek stared at the sheet in Deaton’s hand thoughts rushing through his mind slowly but effectively clicking together.

“Stiles.”

Scott and Deaton both looked round in shock. What the hell was other Derek on about now. Realising that they were staring at him with confusion Derek began to explain.

“Remember when we first met. I told you that the emotions _your_ Derek had for _your_ Stiles had passed through the rift. That _I_ could feel them too.

The room fell silent as they contemplated the idea.

“Do you think that that could work?”

Derek continued cautiously. He knew they didn’t want to involve Stiles. That they wanted to protect him from any further pain that could be caused. That they wanted to keep him as far away as possible from Stiles but if it was there only option to get their Derek back maybe they should rethink their strategy.

Scott grunted. He didn’t want to admit it but other Derek was right. It was a long shot but if there was a possibility it could help them get their Derek back he knew that Stiles wouldn’t stop until they did. He sighed, relaxing his shoulders and leaning back into his chair. Suddenly Scott straightened up as an idea hit him.

“Maybe we don’t need Stiles but something of his.”

Derek frowned with confusion. He wasn’t sure how that was related to their Derek’s and Stiles love.

“Like a token of their love?”

Deaton questioned as the idea came into his head as well. Last but not least the idea washed into Derek’s brain and he finally understood how they could use Stiles without actually using him.

“But how and _what_ are we supposed to use?”

Derek questioned. Scott smiled.

“How is the easy part… What on the other hand.”

*****

Stiles looked around himself making sure no one was paying him any attention. He had spent hours tracking down the items he needed. He made sure to use the tissues so that his finger prints wouldn’t be left behind. Technically what he was doing was a felony and he had to make sure he didn’t get caught in anyway.

Taking a second glance around Stiles took a deep breath and readied himself for crime. He held the utensils in his tissue covered hands. Fiddling with the lock for a few moments it gave out a loud click telling Stiles that he had unlocked it. Twisting his wrist, the lock opened and holding down the handle the door opened slowly. Stiles glanced around before slipping into the room unnoticed.

The room was small and dark except for the blazing lights coming from the security cam screens. Luckily due to Stiles extensive research the room was empty. The hospital had two security rooms and this one was just a back up so Stiles could check the footage he wanted without getting caught. He rolled up to the desk and looked around at the keys spread out in front of him.

Stiles was a genius and he instantly knew what he had to do to get what he wanted. Looking up at the screen Stiles grabbed the mouse and started clicking away. After a few clicks and a couple of new windows opening the screen opened up the folder that Stiles was looking for. The security footage for two days before. The day Stiles was admitted.

He rolled the mouse up and down trying to work out what hours of the day he would be under. After a few moments of contemplating he decided on the latest hour they had for the 13th.

He wizzed through the footage looking for himself but nothing came up. He went back into the folder and clicked on the hour before. It took a few moments and a few clicks before Stiles finally clicked on the six o’clock hour. The hour he was brought in. He wizzed through the footage not expecting to find anything.

Rubbing at his forehead he leaned back in his chair. That was when it rushed past the screen. Him in the arms of a tall, dark haired stranger. He lurched forward and paused the video.

Staring at the screen Stiles tried to make out faces. Tried to explain the picture in his head but there was only one obvious answer. Holding him, bringing him into the hospital was…

“Derek?”


	11. Tearing At The Walls

_Stiles leaned back allowing the sun to soak his skin in bliss. He closed his eyes as he rested his head on Derek’s chest. Derek chuckled slightly as he slowly ran his fingers up Stiles side and slowly began drawing circles under his arm. Stiles shivered and adjusted his position till he was comfortable._

_“That tickles you know.”_

_Derek smiled scrunching his face up with joy. The two of them had travelled all the way out into the middle of the North Pacific Ocean on a small ship in the middle of summer as a romantic vacation. The sun was blazing and had been for days. The air was fresh. The sky was blue and the ocean glimmered. It was perfect. Stiles had stated that today was sunbathing day. The two of them were laying upon the deck of the ship catching the rays. Derek picked up a book from beside him and began to read whilst Stiles slowly slipped into a sun bathing sleep. Derek promised to keep an eye on him so that he didn’t burn himself. Derek smiled as he ran his fingers through Stiles’ hair. It felt like a dream. A gorgeous sunny dream. He looked up towards the sun and sighed with relaxation._

*****

Derek looked down from the glaring sun and towards his uncle who had been calling his name. Derek was ignoring him on purpose. He wanted to ignore everyone and disappear into the shadows where no one could find him. Him and his uncle had been on an adventure to find this Stiles boy that he had been dreaming about but they had reached a dead end. Stiles was dead and one of his kind had killed him.

“Derek get your head out of the clouds and help me with this map.”

Derek sighed as his body ached. He slowly approached Peter and looked over his shoulder at the list of directions the emissary from the vets had given them. He had told them that this guy called Scott would be able to give them more information on Stiles as the two of them had lived together for a short while. The directions were to his house but Peter was unable to understand them.

“Is that a p or a b?”

Peter muttered under his breath. Derek huffed with annoyance. He grabbed the directions out of Peter’s hands and walked towards the car. Peter followed.

“Geez, I was just trying to help grumpy pants. So you know where we’re heading?”  
Derek didn’t answer. He got into his car and started up the engine. He understood the directions clearly. But the directions weren’t the issue. It was the destination. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go. He wasn’t sure he wanted to meet this Scott. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know anymore. But Peter did so he played along.

*****

Stiles rolled his wheelchair back and forth and he breathed heavily. He was staring at his feet but his mind was somewhere else. The image of Derek carrying him into the hospital replayed in his head. His fingers slipped across the top of the wheelchairs wheel and the chair crashed into the cupboard in front of him. Stiles awoke out of his daydream and looked up at the cupboard. The soft blankets stared back. Stiles gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he thought up a plan on what to do next. A plan he knew nobody would approve of.

*****

Derek pulled the car up to the curb and parked. Peter got out and looked up at the cutesy blue house that stuck out like a freshly manicured thumb amongst the dismal houses down the street. Derek stared at the wheel of the car. He gripped tightly at the creaking leather as he took deep and slow breaths. He tried to keep calm and cool but his heart was pounding.

Was he really ready to face this? Was he really ready to walk into this house and find out all he could about Stiles? Could he do it?

He wasn’t entirely sure he could.

Peter walked around the car and leant into the car through the window. Derek didn’t look round. He ignored Peter as he had been doing for the past couple of hours. Peter smirked as he watched Derek’s grip on the wheel tighten. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the car and looked down the empty road they were on.

“Well we could sit out here all day staring at car wheels or we could go in and come here for the information we need.”

Derek slowly breathed out as a frown began to form on his face.

“Need? We don’t need…”

“You’re telling me that without talking to this kid you fully understand what is happening to you?”

Peter interrupted. Derek’s clenched his fists around the car wheel but this time with annoyance and anger. Peter was starting to get on his nerves. He gritted his teeth and finally looked away from the wheel towards Peter.

“And you’re telling me that this kid is going to have all the answers? He knows why I am dreaming of his dead friend? He knows how I am supposed to make it stop?”

Peter cleared his throat and smirked.

“Well we can’t sit outside his house and do nothing. It won’t hurt.”

Derek growled as he rolled his eyes. He unclicked his seatbelt and opened his door. Peter smirked with triumph as he walked away from the car to let Derek get out. Derek glared at him as he got up onto his feet and closed the door behind him.

“It will hurt both physically and mentally for both him and me.”

Derek commented as he growled and walked around the car towards the front door. Peter was slightly taken aback by Derek’s comment and stood frozen in the road for a few moments thinking about what he said. He truly didn’t understand the connection between Derek and Stiles and he didn’t think he ever would.

Derek stood at the front door holding his hand over the buzzer staring at the shiny numbers in the centre of the door. His hand was shaking like crazy as his mind whirred and his heart raced. The only thing that was going slow was his breathing but that was only because he was forcing it.

Peter slowly approached from behind walking Derek silently fight with himself to ring the doorbell. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. This only proved his point more. He didn’t understand his nephew’s emotions and to be honest he didn’t want to.

“Just ring the bell.”

Peter barked as he pushed Derek’s hand onto the buzzer making it ring through the house. Derek growled as he turned to Peter pulling his hand away from him. But before he could bark at him in anger the door opened.

Stood on the doorstep in baggy clothes, a tired expression and a tattoo band across his left arm was Scott.

*****

Stiles knew that the hospital would be on high alert around him. They had been told to make sure he didn’t get out of his wheelchair and his father had stated clearly that he wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital until it was necessary. His escape plan had to be detailed and well thought out if he wanted to get past the guards.

He clicked his fingers reading himself for a fight if needed. Casually he opened the door to his room and wheeled out of the room. He slowly wheeled round the corner until he was in perfect view of the reception. He wheeled up towards the notice board and absentmindedly looked at it. Every now and then he looked over his shoulder and checked the reception desk to see if he could sneak out. It only took a few turns until the receptionists were completely distracted. Taking his chance, he wheeled out the front door into the parking lot.

Once in the parking lot Stiles abandoned his wheelchair and headed on foot down the road towards Scott’s house. With every step his leg hurt more and more but he fought through the pain and pushed on. He was desperate to get to Scott’s. He was desperate to get answers. He was desperate to see Derek.

*****

Derek looked up at Scott with his mouth open. They could all feel it. The familiarity. The itch under their skin. The stench of wolf. Scott frowned as he looked them up and down trying to work out who they were. Derek and Peter looked up in astonishment as they realised that Scott… Scott was a very powerful wolf. He was a true alpha.

“Well the vet left out that fine detail didn’t he?”

Derek sighed with annoyance whilst Scott frowned with confusion at Peter.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

Peter smirked and pushed past Derek so that he was at the front. Scott stepped back slightly whilst Derek raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

“We are Peter and Derek Hale. You may of heard of us…”

“No.”

Scott interrupted. Peter hitched on his words as his ego was beaten down. Derek held his fist to his mouth as he tried desperately to hold down the laughter boiling up in his chest. He loved it when Peter’s ego was beaten down.

“Well anyway, we were sent here by your emissary Deaton about your friend.”

Scott’s frown deepened as he tried to understand why Deaton would send these… wolves to him about one of their friends. He couldn’t think of a single living friend that could possibly be interesting to them. He looked over to Derek hoping that he might make more sense than Peter. But to his surprise Derek wasn’t even looking at him.

Derek was staring at his feet fiddling with his fingers. He couldn’t stop thinking about Stiles. Remembering things about Stiles that he knew he shouldn’t remember. It was depressing him.

Scott sighed with an aching pain reverberating through his body. He knew why they were here. He knew what friend they were talking about. He was right. It wasn’t any of his living friends. It was his dead one.

“You’re here about Stiles aren’t you?”

Peter held his mouth open sucking back in the words he was about to say. Derek looked up from his feet and his expression became apologetic. He felt like they had over stepped. He felt like they had done something wrong. Scott took a deep breath and then smiled with reassurance at Derek.

“Come on in.”

*****

Stiles limped up to the door almost falling to the floor. He pushed onto the door for support as he stepped up towards it. Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell to the gorgeously blue house. He hoped they were in.

After a few moments and muffled banging the door was opened by Scott himself. Stiles weakly smiled up at him as he leant into the door. Scott stared wide-eyed down at his friend worried for him.

“Stiles, what are you doing?”

Stiles stumbled slightly. Scott reached out his arms to catch him giving Stiles the leeway he needed. Stiles used all his strength to push the door open and squeeze in past Scott. In a blink Stiles was into Scott’s house. Scott held out his arms with a confused look on his face. Suddenly Stiles’ planned dawned on Scott. He knew why he was there.

“Stiles what do you want? Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

Scott closed the door behind him as he followed Stiles through the house. Stiles looked around frantically trying to locate Derek. He stumbled around painfully on his feet.

“I know he is here. I know you are hiding him.”

Stiles stumbled into the front room. He was uncertain on his feet and agonising pain was rushing through his veins. He took one more step forward and then the pain became too unbearable. He toppled forward head first towards the coffee table.

Before anyone saw. Before anything could happen. Before anyone could do anything. Derek jumped out from nowhere and caught Stiles inches before his head bashed the table. Stiles stared wide-eyed at the corner of the table knowing that that could have been his head.

Scott stared at Derek wide-eyed and angry. They had tried to hide him but obviously not a very good job of it. Derek helped Stiles to the sofa and smiled apologetically towards Scott hoping that would be enough.

“I knew it. I knew I saw you the day I was emitted to the hospital.”

Scott rolled his eyes and glared and Derek with disappointment.

“Where have you been? Why have you been hiding? I don’t understand… I…”

Tears began to burn at the corner of Stiles’ eyes and he tried desperately to fight back the emotions brimming at his edges. Derek sighed as his eyes travelled down to his lap. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Stiles. He couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth.

“Stiles it’s complicated.”

Stiles spun his glare round to Scott telling him silently that he was infuriated under all this pain.

“You were hiding him. Why didn’t you tell me? Why?”

His voice cracked as his anger burst through the seams. His breathing became erratic as his anger overflowed. Scott opened his mouth to apologise. To tell him everything. To do something so that he wasn’t in pain but he knew nothing could fix this. Suddenly the door clicked open as Deaton entered with a box filled with strange ingredients and contraptions.

Everyone turn to him as he entered watching as he placed the box on the kitchen side.

“I think these are the ingredients we need to pass through the rift but of course we can’t do anything without Stiles.”

Deaton commented as he closed the door unaware of the meeting going on in the living room. Deaton stopped in the doorway of the living room and looked up to see Stiles on the sofa right next to Derek. His mouth dropped open as the situation dawned on him.

“Well you have him now.”

Stiles commented bitterly. He glared up at Deaton with betrayal as all the people he trusted stood in this room betraying that trust. He hated them all. Or at least he did right now.

“Stiles? Does he know?”

Deaton questioned towards Scott. Stiles scoffed and tried to get to his feet but the pain was too much and quickly sat back down.

“Don’t talk about me like I am not here. What should I know?”

Scott looked towards Deaton who looked back. They exchanged a silent conversation through their expressions. Should they tell Stiles the truth? Would he believe them? Would it be sensible? Would it be safe? They both came to some answer. They needed him to fix this.

“That isn’t Derek.”

Scott finally said after a few moments of silence. He was still looking at Deaton nodding at him, telling him that it was okay. They both looked round towards Stiles and Derek. Derek was still staring at his lap whilst Stiles stare at the two of them with slight disgust and confusion.

*****

Peter wiggled into the comfortable and soft sofa and breathed out a slow and relaxed sigh. Derek raised an eyebrow as he took a seat next to him. Scott smiled but as soon as it came it was gone. He closed the front door behind him and walked towards the kitchen.

“Would you like a drink? I have tea, coffee, water or juice.”

Peter sat upright and rubbed his chin as he decided what to have. Derek sighed.

“I’ll have a cup of tea thank you. Peter?”

Derek questioned looking over to Peter. He tried to imply that Peter needed to hurry up and give an answer but nobody could rush Peter.

“Oh, I’ll think I will have… no I’ll have… um…”

“Peter!”

Derek barked under his breath, nudging him not so lightly. Peter jolted and sighed. He hated to be rushed.

“I’ll have tea too thanks.”

Scott smiled and walked into the kitchen. Derek got to his feet and followed.

“Can I help?”

Derek questioned trying to be helpful. He wanted to show this Scott that they were kind and friendly. Scott looked at Derek almost with surprise.

“Sure you can grab me the milk from the fridge.”

Derek smiled as he turned to the fridge and opened it. He rummaged around for a bit and then closed the fridge and passed the carton of milk to Scott. Scott with gratitude and pour it into the mugs of tea.

“I’m sorry about us barging in like this.”

Derek stated desperate to apologise for the rudeness but deep down hoping he would soon ask them to leave.

“It’s fine. I’d do anything for Stiles.”

Scott stirred the tea and pulled out the tea bags. Derek looked at him. He could feel his pain. He could understand. But he didn’t want to. Scott looked up at Derek and fake smiled before passing him one of the mugs. He took the other two and they walked back into the living room.

“So how can I help you?”

Scott passed a mug to Peter and took a seat opposite him. Derek took a seat next to Peter. Scott and Derek awkwardly stare at each other from opposite sides of the room whist Peter sipped tenderly at his tea, every now and then making satisfied groans.

“Well…”

“He’s been dreaming of your dead friend and we have come here to learn a bit more about him hopefully so we can understand all this.”

Peter interrupted. Derek glared at him growling under his breath with annoyance and disgust. He had no respect especially not for the dead. Derek nudged him trying to tell him to apologise but Peter ignored him. Scott stared down at his tea, his lips resting on the edge of the mug. Frowning he slowly looked up at Derek.

“You’ve been dreaming about him? For how long?”

Derek fiddled his thumbs and took a deep breath. He looked up towards Scott and readied himself to answer all his questions.

“A year… Since he passed away.”

Scott frowned as he mulled over the comment.

“Did you know him before you started dreaming about him?”

“No.”

Scott took a sip of his tea.

“What happened in the dreams?”

Derek opened his mouth to speak but the words got caught. He thought about every dream. He thought about every memory. He wasn’t sure they were something he wanted to share. But he knew he could never get to the end of this if he didn’t.

“Um… They were like memories. Like we knew each other. We were… I had… I love him.”

Scott gulped hard as he tried desperately not to spit his tea out. He slowly looked up towards Derek catching Peter surreptitiously sip at his tea. Derek shrugged his shoulders and looked down towards the floor.

“You’re in love with him… Right? Did you fall in love with him in the dreams or?”

Derek sighed as he built up his courage to speak.

“I was already in love with him. The dreams just… reminded me.”

Scott nodded his head as if he understood but his expression told another story. He placed his mug on the table and leant back into his chair, tapping on his legs whilst thinking.

“Wait… are they dreams or memories then?”

Scott rubbed at his forehead as he tried to understand what was going on.

“They’re like memories… that I don’t remember… Like they’re from another world where me and Stiles know each other.”

Peter spluttered and began to chock slightly on his tea. He stared wide-eyed at the tea in his mug pretending that he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. Wiped his mouth and took another sip of his tea. Was Derek working out his plan?

“Right?”

Scott commented. He looked around absentmindedly before resting upon a closed door behind Derek’s head. The door hadn’t been opened in years. The paint was slightly faded and where a sign once sat there was now chipped paint. It was Stiles’ old room that hadn’t been able to enter since the accident. Derek turned round to look at the door. Scott got to his feet, still staring at the door.

“You can have a look through his stuff if you want. Maybe that will help.”

Scott felt a tinge of pain rush through his body as he said the words but he knew that he needed to enter that room eventually. It had been a year since the accident so why couldn’t now be the time to move on.

“Thanks.”

Derek commented, also staring at the door. He felt fear whirl through his body at the thought of entering Stiles’ room. But he needed to know. Didn’t he?

Scott entered first and Derek slowly and cautiously followed. The room was dusty and cold. Nothing had been touched for a year and you could tell. Photos covered the walls some of Stiles and his friends and family others of random people and creatures.

Derek looked at each photo taking in the life that Stiles lived. He ran his fingers across one of the photos. It was Stiles laughing whilst a large dog nuzzled into his neck. Derek sighed. Scott looked around the room remembering everything as it was when Stiles was there.

Then something caught Derek’s. A mood board spread out across the left wall. Strings of all different colours connected pictures covering the wall. It was quite beautiful to look at.

“Oh, that’s what Stiles did whenever we were investigating something. Red was unknown or unsolved, green was solved or known and blue… I’m not sure what blue was. That was from the case we were investigating when he… um…”

Derek moved closer to the mood board, running his fingers along the strings that connecting the photos and names. That was when he saw it. Just to the left of the board. A photo he didn’t even know existed. A photo of him and his family before their house burnt down. Underneath that were two other photos. One of his uncle and one of him.

Stiles knew who he was.

Derek pulled the photo from the wall and stared at it. His emotions began to bubble as he tried to understand what was going on.

*****

“You’re telling me that my boyfriend is stuck in another dimension which is why he has been missing for the past few years?”

Stiles squinted at the other Derek. He wasn’t quite comprehending what was going on. In all honesty he thought this was all a stupid excuse for his disappearance. But he couldn’t help but feel like there was something off about this Derek. Like he was someone else.

“I’m supposed to believe that you’re not Derek.”

“He’s still Derek just not the Derek we know.”

Scott replied hoping that this would be a comfort to Stiles but he knew none of this was going to be a comfort.

“Then where is _my_ Derek?”

Other Derek scratched at the back of head and slowly looked up towards Stiles. It was the first time he had looked at him since they had told him everything. He felt the fear spread through his veins.

“He’s in my dimension. Stuck there with my uncle Peter… Who wants to use him to get power and you know…”

Stiles frowned. His skin creased with confusion and annoyance. He knew deep down that it was possible but he didn’t want to believe it.

“So what do we have to do to get him back?”

Deaton cleared his throat. This was his area of expertise.

“We can pass through the rift to get in contact with the other side.”

Stiles frowned.

“And then what? How is that going to bring back Derek?”

Deaton sighed and smiled. They hadn’t really thought much about that bit.

“We need you. You created a rift through the dimensions so we need to get in contact with you on the other side and then use that… connection to fix the rift. And when the rift is fixed your Derek will be back.”

Derek commented rubbing at his left temple. Everyone looked round to him. They all understood the plan. Sort of. Stiles sighed as he began to understand the pressure that was being put on him. He was the only one that could bring back _his_ Derek. It was all down to him.

“Okay then. When do we get started?”

*****

After several hours of ingredient mixing and spell casting they were ready to start rift jumping. Stiles and Scott looked down at the potion and gulped. It was a horrid green glop that bubbled. It was appeasing.

“If this passes you through the rift how come we can’t just use it on you?”

Scott questioned towards Derek as he jumped back trying to escape bubbling over green glop. Derek looked at Deaton then back at Scott.

“I don’t know… Which is why I’m going to drink it too.”

Scott stared at Derek in shock. He wasn’t the only one drinking the glop? That made him feel a lot better.

Deaton filled two glasses with the disgusting liquid and passed them over to Derek and Scott. They both looked down at the glasses and swallowed the lumps in their throats. This wasn’t going to be nice. Taking a deep breath they both swallowed down the disgusting liquid in one gulp at the same time. Scott gagged whilst Derek slammed the glass onto the table. They waited a few moments but nothing happened.

“Are we sure it worked?”

Derek questioned. Suddenly Scott doubled over as if he were going to throw up. He wasn’t sick but instead he breathed out slowly for a few moments. He lifted his head up and looked around the room and frowned with confusion.

“Where am…”

He stopped what he was saying when he caught sight of Stiles. He stared at him and felt tears bubbling up in his eyes. His breath was jagged as he sighed and smiled with pure joy. Stiles was alive.

*****

Scott looked up and around the room. It was a big room that was very dusty and cold. The walls were covered in photos of him and Stiles and the others laughing and having fun. There were also photos of strange creatures and people. He frowned as he tried to get his bearings.

Stood in front of him was Derek facing away from him staring at a wall. Scott exhaled with surprise. Maybe the potion had worked.

“Derek?”

Scott called out. Derek turned round holding a photo in his hand. He looked up towards Scott, an expression of hurt on his face. He held the photo out to Scott as he looked away.

“He was looking for me. He knew who I was.”

Scott took the photo and looked at it. It was a photo of the Hale family before their house was burnt down. Scott wasn’t even aware there were any photos like this. Derek was well reserved about his family. It was understandable.

“Oh wow. You told me that you didn’t know him. Maybe he knew you.”

Derek frowned and turned towards Scott. He didn’t really understand what he was saying. Wouldn’t he, as his best friend, know that Stiles knew him? Wouldn’t of the emissary of known too? How could Stiles have been the only one to know him. From what he had seen Stiles wasn’t one to keep secrets.

“Right well we best find him quick. Any ideas where we are?”

Derek shook his head in disbelief at Scott’s comment. What was he going on about? Finding Stiles? Had he suddenly forgotten that he was dead? Derek slowly approached him with reassurance.

“Are you okay?”

Derek questioned with concern. Scott frowned at Derek in confusion as he passed him the photo back.

“Yer sure. Rift jumping’s not that great on the stomach but I’m fine. You?”

Derek chuckled slightly but not out of happiness. Out of fear. He slowly backed towards the door as he began to realise that this kid was crazy and him and his uncle were very likely to get killed by him. They had no chance against a true alpha.

“What’s wrong Derek?”

Scott questioned as he watched him slowly back away. It was then that it dawned on him. The other Derek hadn’t made it through. This was their Derek. And he had no clue who he was. Scott lurched forward to stop him running. He wrapped his hands round his mouth to stop him screaming. He looked round the door and spotted Peter in the living and gulped. This was dangerous. Very dangerous.

“Look Derek, I know this is going to sound insane but you have to believe me. Okay?”

Derek relaxed his body and nodded but still stared angrily and fearfully at Scott. Scott nodded back.

“You have to keep quiet. Your uncle can’t hear us.”

Derek nodded again. He was confused and wasn’t sure if he could trust this Scott but he had nothing else to do. Scott slowly moved his hands away from Derek mouth and took a step back. Derek glared but didn’t run and didn’t shout. Scott sighed and relaxed. He took a seat on the bed.

“Okay. I’m from another dimension. _Your_ dimension. That’s why I’m here. To get you back. Get you back to Stiles. You were trapped here by Peter so that he could use you to gain power and become an alpha. So I am here to save you. But I can’t do that unless we have the Stiles from this dimension. We need the connection from the two Stiles to fix the rift and send us back.”

Derek’s frown softened. It was bizarre. This idea of another dimension where he knew Stiles. But that was what he had been saying. That it was like in another dimension he knew Stiles. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was true. He couldn’t help but feel it was. But there was just one problem. Derek fell into the desk chair behind and sighed. He felt like crying but he held it back.

“Stiles is dead.”

Derek said in a whisper. But Scott heard him.

“What?”

Scott exclaimed in disbelief. Derek ran his hands through his hair and looked up at Scott. His expression was sad and apologetic.

“That can’t be…”

Derek didn’t say anything he just stared. Scott exhaled, all the cheerfulness leaving his body in that breathe.

“How?”

Scott stared at the floor as the news sunk in. Derek swallowed the lump in his throat.

“He was attack by a wolf…”

Scott and Derek looked up at each other and then slowly they both looked towards the doorway. Derek jumped to his feet and ran his finger across the mood board trying to connect the dots between the Hale family and the case. According to Stiles’ board Derek and Peter were suspects in the case but they lived miles away so Stiles had ignored them.

Derek frowned as the dots connected in his brain. Soon the confusion was replaced with anger. An anger so furious he was prepared to kill Peter. Scott lurched forward and grabbed Derek before he could do anything stupid.

“What are you doing? Let go of me. He’s the reason Stiles is dead. He killed him.”

Scott and Derek wrestled with one another behind the door of Stiles’ bedroom. If they made one sound too loud Peter would hear and come investigate. They needed to keep quiet. They needed time to think.

“Shhh. If you kill him, we can’t use him to find out how to get out of this.”

“He killed Stiles, I don’t care.”

Scott growled with annoyance. He grabbed Derek tightly and flung him up against the bed wrestling him to the ground. Holding him down and huffed out of breath. Derek squirmed but he was stuck.

“ _Your_ Stiles is still alive and well so for now he can live. We need him. We need to interrogate him. We need to find out from him how we can get s both back to Beacon Hills in our dimension. Got that?”

Derek stared at Scott for a few moments but soon nodded and agreed to the plan. Now they just had to go through with the plan. Scott sighed. Peter had always been difficult so he knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. Or at least not as easy as he had hoped.


	12. Answering Questions Under Pressure is Hard

_The music blared and the lights flashed. People danced and jumped to the sound of the beat. Some grinded up against each other others didn’t even touch. The biggest party of the year. The senior’s leaving party. It was the best party Scott and Stiles had ever been too and they had put it together. It felt like dream but it was perfect._

_Everyone was covered in paint and glowing in the UV lights having the best night of their lives before they had to leave high school forever. Stiles danced to the music, nodding his head at Scott as he approached. Scott smiled, one because his friend was clearly drunk already and two because of who just followed him into the party._

_Anyone was allowed to come to the party but it was specifically for the seniors. This meant that anyone could walk in. Anyone at all. Scott approached drunk Stiles and laughed. He leaned in close and spoke into his ear trying to be heard over the loud music._

_“Guess who’s right behind me.”_

_Stiles looked around the room his mind reeling from the alcohol intoxication and spotted Derek across the room entering the party. Derek looked around trying to spot someone he knew but it seemed like a room filled with strangers. Looking cool and calm he swaggered through the crowd towards the drinks table._

_Stiles felt his body shaking. He hadn’t told anyone about him and Derek but things tended to slip when he was drunk. And they weren’t exactly subtle about it some of the time. Stiles was only trying to keep it from his dad._

_Shaking like crazy with adrenaline and the rush of lust Stiles took a deep breath. He grabbed onto Scott’s shoulder patting and shaking him. Scott chuckled at the sight of his friend getting excited over his crush._

_“Dude… I have to… go!”_

_Stiles spluttered out as he stumbled on his feet after Derek. Patting Scott one last time on the shoulder he shoved through the crowd and disappeared. Scott laughed as he watched him disappear into the crowd. He turned to Lydia and shrugged his shoulders. Lydia raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. Boys and their crushes. She didn’t understand it._

_“Hey Derek!”_

_Stiles shouted as he barged through the crowd of jumping and dancing glowing drunkards. He skidded to a halt in front of Derek placing a hand on his chest to stop him going any further._

_Derek looked up at Stiles and then down at the hand on his chest._

_“Woah! I thought big bad wolf doesn’t like parties.”_

_Stiles spat out, tripping over ever other word. Derek smirked as he watched Stiles hand relax. Stiles looked down from Derek at his hand on his chest. He could feel the warmth of his body underneath the shirt. He could feel the intense beating of his heart in his chest. He gently caressed the fabric holding a piece between his fingers and rubbing them together._

_Derek licked his lips and smiled. He looked up at Stiles and tilted his head slightly to one side. He had seen Stiles drunk a few times but every time was different. Every time Stiles was adorable and cute but each experience was different. He wondered what this time would be like._

_“Are you drunk?”_

_Derek chuckled as Stiles staggered forward slightly. Stiles was stood up on a step making himself slightly taller than Derek but also making it very difficult for him to be safe. Stiles swayed as he bit at his lip._

_He leaned forward using Derek’s chest as support. Inches away from Derek’s face Stiles bit at his lip again, holding back the urges he so desperately wanted to do. Derek looked down at Stiles’ lips and then back up at his eyes and smirked. Stiles sighed and nodded his head in agreement with Derek’s question._

_Stiles leaned in closer and closed the gap between his lips and Derek’s. The kiss was sweet and alcoholic. Stiles could feel Derek smiling but neither of them stopped. They knew that people were watching but neither of them cared. It felt too good and they were too sucked up in the emotions to care._

_Lydia caught sight of them in the corner of her eye. She nudged Scott and pointed towards them. Scott scoffed as his eyes widened. He knew Stiles liked Derek but he never expected him to have the courage to do anything about it. Lydia sighed and raised an eyebrow._

_“Finally.”_

*****

Peter slowly blinked his eyes open as he woke up from his restless sleep. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He didn’t remember moving out of the living room. He didn’t remember much. The last thing he could recall was Derek searching in Stiles’ room whilst he drank tea.

So how did he end up in this bedroom. And how did he end up tied to this chair. Peter tugged at the ropes tightly strapping him to the uncomfortable wooden chair. The ropes were just a little bit too tight and were rubbing painfully against his skin. He growled as he tried to wiggle out of the seat but nothing was working.

Derek, scratching at his neck slowly enter the room looking kind of tired but mainly hiding a seething anger towards his uncle. He looked up at his uncle and gritted his teeth. This monster was going to pay for what he did, if it was the last thing Derek did.

Scott soon followed in behind with a bag. He placed the bag on the bed and empty the contents onto it. There were kitchen knives, wires, clamps, metal poles, a large car battery and much more. All items that could be used for torturing. Scott grimaced as he stepped aside for Derek.

“Are you sure we need to go this far?”

Scott questioned cautiously. Derek and Scott had been arguing since they knocked out Peter about how they were to get the information out of him. Scott understood that they would have to use some sort of force but he hoped that a non-violent option would be possible. Derek was not swayed.

After ages of arguing Peter awoke and Derek won the fight. Derek was going to torture the information out of him. Derek grinned when he won. He was going to get some sort of retribution for what Peter had done.

“I know him. Asking him politely won’t get us anywhere.”

Derek grabbed the car battery and placed it on the floor in front of Peter. He attached two wires to it with clamps on the end. Peter watched him fearfully as he came to terms with his punishment. He had to think of a way to get out of this.

“What are you doing? Why am I strapped to this chair? And why have you got all this stuff? Is this some sort of game?”

Peter stumbled on his words trying to sound scared and confused. Derek wasn’t convinced. Derek got to his feet and grabbed two metal poles from the bed. He twisted them in his hands whilst staring into Peter’s eyes. Peter jerked in the chair as Derek stepped closer.

“Stop. What are you doing? What have I done wrong?”

Derek growled as he moved closer. He lifted the poles above his head and with a loud growl he embedded them into Peter’s legs. Peter screamed out in agony as blood trickled down his legs. His breathing was jagged as pain spasmed through his body. Derek looked up at him, twisting the poles in deeper. Peter gritted his teeth and whimpered.

“You killed Stiles.”

Derek whispered. Peter’s eyes flickered blue as he breathed out slowly. The game was up. He supposed trying to pretend he didn’t kill Stiles would just make the matters worse. Derek knew and was furious about it. The only thing he could do was keep his mouth shut. Which was hard for him.

Derek stood up and walked over to the car battery picking up the clamps attached to it. He clapped them together making an electric spark flash from the ends of the clamps. He smirked and approached Peter. Peter tried to fight against the chair but his energy was drained.

“Derek is this really necessary?”

“Yer, listen to your new friend. Is this really necessary?”

Derek ignored them both and gripped one of the clamps to Peter’s right leg. He held the other clamp tenderly in his hand. He raised an eyebrow to Peter as he reached the clamp out towards Peter’s left leg but just far enough away that the circuit wasn’t closed. Peter began to sweat as he stared intently at the clamp close to his leg.

“I will ask you once. If you answer incorrectly you get shocked.”

Derek stated. He was giving Peter terms. It showed a sort of mercy. But he knew Peter and he knew Peter wasn’t going to answer correctly. Peter mulled over the consequences and whether it was worth it. He had come this far why should he stop now. He gritted his teeth and looked up at Derek. He was ready.

“How do we get back to our dimension?”

Derek questioned. He inched the clamp closer to Peter’s leg. Peter gritted his teeth and smiled at Derek. If he was going to go out in smokes he wanted to tease Derek whilst going.

“Scott.”

Derek called. Scott moved forward and shoved a pair of socks in Peter’s mouth. Derek wanted to torture him but he still needed him to be able to talk. Once Scott was out of the way Derek gripped the clamp to Peter’s leg and watched. Peter squirmed and writhed against the chair as the electricity rushed through his body. His mouth began to foam. Derek took the clamp off Peter’s and stood back watching as Peter caught his breath as relaxed.

“Shall we do it again or are you going to answer my question?”

Derek asked holding the clamp out beside him. Scott approached and removed the socks from his mouth allowing Peter to talk. Peter spat onto the floor and glared up at Derek. He had expected some ill treatment but his nephew was willing to torture him to death by the looks of it.

“And what will I get in return?”

Peter teased. Derek growled as he tapped the clamp against Peter’s leg sending a shock through his body. Peter jerked in pain. Derek crouched in front of Peter, glaring at him whilst holding the clamp dangerously close to his leg. Peter watched the clamp as sweat dripped down his forehead.

“I don’t kill you.”

Derek replied. He got back up, standing over Peter like a dark menacing shadow. He nodded his head at Scott, who put the socks back into Peter’s mouth. Derek touched the clamp to Peter’s leg and smiled as he watched his uncle writhe and jolt under the agonising pain of the electricity. Peter slammed his feet against the floor, desperately trying to break the chair but it was useless. Derek pulled away the clamp and nodded towards Scott again. Scott took the socks and stepped away. He looked away with disgust. He hated this but he tried to convince himself that it was needed.

“So how do we get back?”

Derek questioned again. Peter spat out this time there was a little bit of blood.

“How do you even know that I know a way back?”

Peter questioned, hoping that they weren’t as smart as he thought they were. Derek sighed with annoyance. His uncle was as stupid as he thought he was. Scott took a step forward into Peter’s view.

“Because you want to get to our dimension as well so you must have a back-up plan that doesn’t involve Stiles.”

Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked towards Scott. He smirked with appreciation.

“You’re not as stupid as you look.”

Peter teased. He looked round to Derek and smiled.

“I can understand why you teamed up with him.”

Derek growled as he tapped the clamp against Peter’s leg. Peter jerked and smiled painfully. Derek smirked.

“Just tell us how to get back.”

Scott questioned cautiously. He didn’t want to infuriate Derek as Peter’s life could be at stake. They just needed him to tell them what they wanted and then they could move on. Peter smiled at Derek, teasing him as much as he could whilst strapped to a chair.

“Do you remember your life before I brought you here?”

Peter teased. Derek growled under his breath but Scott held him back. He understood that they needed force but killing Peter wasn’t going to help.

“When you started having those dreams after I killed this Stiles I knew that the rift had been stretched. I knew that my spell was starting to wear off. I needed to work fast or you would start to remember everything and not just your boyfriend.”

Peter smirked. He knew how to press Derek’s buttons. He knew how to get him angry. Of course maybe angry wasn’t what Peter needed.

“You know he cried out your name as I suffocated him. Scott! He gave up way before you even arrived to save him though. I gave him exactly what he wanted.”

Derek clenched his fists and shook with anger. Scott looked away in disgust as he realised that the other Scott had try to save Stiles. Like he would have. But the other Scott failed.

“You know you almost killed me. But you didn’t. You lost your friend and you didn’t even have the strength to kill me too.”

Scott jerked in anger. Taking a deep breath, he slowly dropped his arm to his side. Looking away he passed the bundle of socks to Derek and walked towards the doorway.

Derek looked down at the socks and smirked. Looking up at Peter, fury and evilness glinted in his eyes. Peter squirmed in his seat as he watched Scott leave the room.

“You’re really going to let him kill me?”

Peter shouted after Scott. Scott ignored him. He went into the kitchen and began to boil the kettle. Derek shoved the socks into Peter’s mouth with a harsh roughness.

“He almost killed you last time. This time he has help.”

Derek chuckled as he slowly gripped the clamp to Peter’s left leg.


	13. You're Alive!

Derek held the clamp against Peter’s leg for just a little bit longer than the last couple of times but not enough to kill him. Slowly he pulled away and took the socks from Peter’s mouth. Peter began to drawl without control as his bodily functions began to give up. Derek smirked at the disgusting sight that was his uncle. He was beginning to remember the emotions that he had for his uncle. The love that he once felt but he was also remembering the love he felt for Stiles and that was very much the stronger emotion. He had two agendas in life now. To get revenge on Peter for his crimes and to get back to Stiles.

“Are you ready to talk?”

Derek snarled. Peter dribbled before he began to speak again.

“Would you really kill me for this boy you can’t even remember? You remember me. I am your flesh and blood. I am your family and you would kill me for this insignificant child?”

Derek grew tired of Peter’s antics and just wanted to get it over with but he knew if he killed Peter now he may never get back to Stiles.

“Yes! No doubt.”

Peter felt a twinge of pain rush through his heart. He knew that this whole time he had just been trying to get revenge on Derek for disposing of him in his dimension and had only been trying to get more power and strength but it still hurt him to know that his only family hated him. That his only family would abandon him for some random boy he had met in the woods a couple of years ago. However, he felt a small amount of pleasure. It pleased him to know that Derek was tearing himself up inside over this stupid child. That he had manged to break something that was already so very broken.

“So, if I tell you, you promise not to kill me? What about the other Derek? Can you promise that he won’t kill me either?”

Derek frowned. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy to break Peter.

“No I can’t guarantee that he won’t try to kill you when he gets back but what do you expect me to do?”

Peter smirked. He had to think of something quick. Something that could save his life.

“You could put a memory spell on him. Take away all his memories of what happened. He’d come back and it would be like nothing ever happened.”

Derek contemplated the idea. It wasn’t fair to the other Derek to take away his memories but what harm would it do. He wouldn’t remember anything to do with the other dimension and he could live in a blissful life of not knowing that his uncle is a murderous moron. It might not be too bad.

“Fine! Now tell me how to get back to Stiles.”  
Peter smirked.

“You truly love this boy, don’t you?”

“What is your point?”

“I am just amazed that after everything that you have been through you can still love so strongly. It is beautiful.”

“Shut up and just tell me.”

“Fine. In order to get back you will need a blood moon and the most precious thing you have ever given to Stiles.”

Derek frowned. He had no idea how either of those things connected or how they would get him back. He growled and tapped the clamp against Peter’s leg sending a painful shock through his body.

“Stop fucking with me and just tell me how to get back to him.”

Derek roared with anger. Peter huffed with agony as his muscles stiffened.

“I’m not.”

Peter spat with annoyance. He was fed up with being distrusted.

“You can open the rift by connecting yourself with Stiles. You would both need to be holding the same precious item and when the blood moon comes up then, if your connection is strong enough, you open up a doorway between the dimensions and go through it. Back to your precious little Stiles.”

Peter growled with disgust. Derek, even though he told himself not to, had begun to believe his uncle.

“You better be telling the truth.”

Derek clenched his teeth. He knelt down and picked up the socks off of the floor. Shoving them into Peter’s mouth he attached the clamp to Peter’s leg leaving him to writhe in agony with the electricity rushing through his veins. He walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen. Scott turned to look at Derek, he could hear the electric powered writhing of Peter in the other room and was trying desperately to ignore it. Derek stopped in front of Scott. He felt almost pleased. Pleased for what felt like the first time in forever.

“I know how to get back.”

 

*****

 

“Stiles!”

Scott reached out his arms and pulled Stiles into a tight embrace. His breathing was jagged, his eyes welled up with tears as his emotions began to overflow. He thought he would never see Stiles again.

“You’re alive.”

Scott whispered into Stiles’ ear. Stiles felt uncomfortable and unsure about this hug. He knew almost instantly that this was a different Scott.

“Yes. Why am I supposed to be dead?”

Stiles questioned as he wriggled out of Scott’s embrace. Scott loosened his grip but kept a hand placed upon Stiles’ arm, in fear that he might disappear. He reached up a hand and caressed Stiles’ cheek checking over and over again that he was definitely real.

“How is this possible?”

“Well… you see…”

Stiles began to explain. He almost felt nervous. Like if he wasn’t careful enough he may shatter this Scott’s entire body with one wrong word.

“You see. You're in another dimension. This is... How do I put this? This is my dimension and you and Derek here..."

Stiles pointed towards Derek and looks over towards him begging him with his eyes to help him explain the situation. Derek chokes and brushes himself down anxiously.

"Uh... Yer... Me and you are from the same dimension. You were sent here by the Scott from this dimension. We are trying to get the Derek that is in our dimension back into this dimension."

Stiles sighed as he rolled his eyes. He had hoped this Derek would be a little better at explaining things. Scott frowned with confusion. He wasn't entirely sure whether this was real. He had no idea who this Derek fellow was and he just seemed to be speaking gibberish.

"Look, what he is trying to say, is we need to get our friend back from your... where you are from, and in order to do that we need your version of me."

Stiles pleaded with Scott hoping that he would be able to help them. Scott looked towards Stiles, noticing his pleading expression, he felt a wave of disenchantment weigh down on him, almost drowning him in sorrow. He couldn't help them. Yet again. He couldn't help Stiles.

"I can't help you."

Scott whispered. Stiles leaned in closer his need for Scott's help becoming stronger by the minute.

"What do you mean, you can't help us?"

"I mean I can't help you!"

Scott barked louder with an annoyance. He didn't mean to be cruel but he didn't want to hurt Stiles any further even if it wasn't his Stiles. Stiles fell back, his breathing heavy, his eyes welling up and his hope dissipating. Scott looked up at him, sorrow embedded into his gaze.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could help you but..."

"Are you just refusing to help me..."

"No! I really wish I could help you. But you see. If you’re not the Stiles from my World, as you put it, then..."

"What? We lost contact? I moved out of Beacon Hills? What?"

"We never lived in Beacon Hills."

Scott took a deep breath and tried desperately to say the words he feared so much out loud.

"I... We... Stiles..."

Stiles looked up at Scott a tear running down his cheek. He had never felt this way towards Scott before. Disappointment and anger. Scott was hiding something and he knew it was something that could help them get Derek back.

"In my World... You were... You're dead."

Scott mumbled. He hadn't said those words for years. And even to this day it still ached his heart whenever he thought about it. Stiles’ face dropped as the words came out of Scott’s mouth. He didn’t feel upset that he was dead in this Scott’s realm. He didn’t feel upset that Scott had been missing him so much that he couldn’t even say the words out loud without being in agony. He wasn’t even upset about the thought of his Father being all alone. Though that did hurt a little. What upset Stiles the most was the fact that he may have to live with the idea that he will probably never see Derek again. At least not his Derek. The Derek he had so much history with. The Derek that he had spent so much time creating a life with. The Derek he loved.

"I am so sorry Stiles. But there is nothing I can do to help."

Scott reached out an assuring hand but Stiles flinched away. He knew deep down it couldn't possibly be Scott's fault but he couldn't help himself.

"There must be another way. There has to be."

Stiles muttered desperately. He was clutching at straws but he needed something, anything to give him hope again.

*****

Stiles had been pacing back and forth around the front room for what felt like hours. Scott and Derek had been watching him tentatively, firstly they were worried he may injure himself more by walking around so much, and secondly because they hoped that he may come up with a plan. Stiles stopped for a second.

"What about? No..."

He started to pace back and forth again. It seemed useless. He usually had great plans to help and save his friends but the one time he desperately wanted one he couldn't think of anything. And it was frustrating him. In a fit of rage Stiles grabbed Scott's table that sat in the centre of the living room and chucked it up into the air. He roared out a painful and and agonising scream as he slumped to the floor with defeat. He was never going to get Derek back.

Scott clutched at his chest as a agonising shooting pain rushed through his veins. He grunted as he buckled forward and fell to the floor. Stiles and Derek looked over towards him and quickly rushed over to check he was okay.

"What's wrong? Scott? What's wrong?"

Stiles turned Scott to face him and held him in his hands. Scott grimaced with pain as he felt like his bones were breaking with every breath he took. He looked up at Stiles and smiled weakly.

"I am so glad I got to see you again."

Scott whispered. With a long breath he fell unconscious and limp in Stiles' arms. Stiles shook Scott desperately trying to wake him, fear pulsing through his veins as he worried that he may have lost yet another friend. Suddenly Scott sat up abruptly breathing heavily and looking erratically around the room. He turned to face Stiles and upon seeing him pulled him into a very tight embrace. Stiles stiffened unsure how to react. He didn't really understand what was going on anymore.

"Stiles. It's you. I'm back."

Scott huffed. Stiles' frown softened as he realised that his Scott was back again. That he hadn't lost his friend but possibly gained a new one in a different dimension. Scott let go of Stiles and sat back huffing out of breath. A smile spread across his face as he tried to catch his breath again.

"I know how to get Derek back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been so long. Please forgive me!


	14. Nothing is More Precious to Me Than You

Peter sighed with annoyance, wincing with every slight movement as the ropes dug deeper into his skin. He was still tied to a chair but had now been moved from Scott’s bedroom to Derek’s. He sighed with an over exaggeration trying to both get Derek’s attention and piss him off.

 

Derek had been pacing back and forth for what felt like hours to Peter. He was trying to think. What could he possibly have in this dimension that was something precious he gave to Stiles in the other dimension. If this Derek had never met this Stiles that there couldn’t possibly be anything in this dimension. But he needed to find something. And he needed to find it quick.

 

“You realise the blood moon is in two days. You haven’t got very long Derek.”

 

Peter murmured desperately trying to push Derek’s buttons. Derek snarled, leaning in real close to Peter’s face unable to hold back his anger. He hadn’t been this out of control of his emotions since he was a kid. And he wasn’t enjoying it.

 

“I am fully aware of how much time I have. I am thinking.”

 

“Thinking about what you could possibly own in this dimension that was precious in your dimension? I have been trying to work that out too.”

 

Derek growled under his breath as he tried perilously to control his emotions. He stopped pacing and sighed taking a seat on the edge of his bed. He tried not to think that it was all useless and hopeless but it was hard not to listen to the reasoning voice of his doubt.

 

*****

“What do you mean?”

 

Stiles questioned as his face began to ache with how long he had been holding his puzzled look. Scott scratched at his head as he sighed and tried to think of a new way of explaining their predicament.

 

“Peter claims that in order for us to get Derek back we need to open up a rift and shove him through.”

 

Scott looked at Stiles with a pleading expression. He hoped that Stiles would finally come to terms with their situation and understand what they had to do in order to succeed.

 

“Okay? But how do we open a rift?”

 

Scott shrugged as he began to realise how heavily dependent they were on Peter’s knowledge. It didn’t make him feel confident about their plan.

 

“According to Peter, you and Derek have to both be in contact with some sort of precious item during the blood moon.”

 

Stiles massaged his temples with his fingers as he felt the torturous pain of a stress headache creeping up on him. This was all too much for him. All he wanted was his Derek back but it just seemed hopeless. He looked up at Scott with a defeated expression.

 

“You can’t give up. It will work.”

 

“What if doesn’t?”  


Stiles whispered incoherently. Everything felt like it was slowly fading away from him.

 

“If anyone needed proof of destined love that you and Derek are prime examples. It will definitely work. There is nothing stronger than the bond between you two.”  


Scott smiled reassuringly. He knew that the plan wasn’t exactly hard but getting the precious items together in time for the blood moon in two days wasn’t the hard part. It was always convincing Stiles that he should fight ever after he has given up all hope that was the hard part. Stiles sighed as his gaze slipped from Scott and fell to the floor. He stared absentmindedly at the floor as he tried with all his being to convince himself that there was still something left to fight for.

 

*****

_Stiles slammed his head onto the books piled up on his desk, the sound of his head hitting the paper echoing through the library. A crowd of students turned to look with fear and shock on their faces._

_“I hate revising. This is bullshit.”_

_Scott chuckled as he fiddled with the corner of the page of his book before finally turning it over._

_“You know full well if you don’t graduate your dad will kill you.”_

_“That isn’t even the worst of it.”_

_Stiles muttered into the old pages of his text book. His dad being disappointed in him not graduating was the least of his problems. If he didn’t graduate, he was never going to get into the police academy and his dad would never be okay with him dating Derek. Of course, he couldn’t tell Scott that. Scott, and everyone for that matter had no clue about him and Derek and he would like to keep it that way until his dad was finally okay with it. Though deep down he was sure his dad was never going to be okay with it after he walked in on them…_

_“Why does it have to be so boring?”_

_Stiles grumbled as he lifted his head from the books and whilst leaning on his arm he began to start reading through the confusing convoluted explanations of the textbook._

_“I don’t know. I am quite enjoying the…”_

_Scott lifted the front of his book to peak at the title._

_“…Telomeropathies: Consider the Contribution of Telomere Maintenance Mechanisms to Inherited Genetic Disease.”_

_Scott and Stiles laughed. Stiles stretched out his limbs as far as they could go making them crack as he relaxed. As he placed his fingers on the textbook pages to move on, his phone began to ring loudly, blaring out I Was a Teenage Werewolf by the Cramps. Stiles jumped and scrabbled for his phone desperately trying to stop the ringing. It was Derek. Almost dropping his phone he answered it._

_“Hello?”_

_Stiles whispered trying not to catch Scott’s attention. But Scott was already looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Stiles chuckled and smiled awkwardly as he got up from his chair and left the library mainly to hide from Scott but he had to pretend it was because he didn’t want to disturb the revision._

_“Stiles?”_

_Derek’s voice, riddled with concern, broke through the white noise of the phone tone. Stiles leant against a wall and sighed deeply as he found a safe spot to continue his conversation._

_“Stiles are you there?”_

_Derek’s voice continued as he began to think that Stiles had hung up on him or hadn’t even answered in the first place._

_“Sorry, I was in the library with Scott.”_

_Stiles sighed as he found a comfortably position on the wall. He could hear Derek sigh as well on the other end of the phone and then an almost silent chuckle. But he heard it and it made him smirk._

_“What’s up?”_

_Stiles questioned as he smiled to himself imagining Derek laughing to himself on the other end of the phone. To anyone walking past they must think he was completely insane or the person he was talking to on the phone was hilarious. To be fair only one of those was possible and it sure wasn’t Derek being hilarious._

_“Oh, sorry I was just… Um…”_

_Derek sounded nervous which was new for Stiles. The whole time he had known Derek he had never known him to be nervous. Not like this at least._

_“I… Um… Well…”_

_Stiles smirked. He was going to hold this against Derek for a very long time. Big tough-guy Derek was stumbling over his words. No one was ever going to believe him. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have material to tease Derek with._

_“What in the World is making you so nervous?”_

_Stiles questioned, starting his teasing a little earlier than usual._

_“You have done many things to me Derek. I assure you there is nothing you could say that could surprise me.”_

_Stiles leant back with a cockiness he knew he shouldn’t act like he had._

_“What do you mean I have done many things to you?”_

_Stiles smirked as he prepped himself._

_“Oh, you know. The normal stuff. Smacked my head into a driving wheel. Punched me with almost all your force. Shoved me up against a wall and proceeded to make out with me. Taken your huge…”_

 

_“Alright! I get it!”_

_Derek interrupted quickly fearing what could possibly come after the words ‘your huge’._

_“I’m not nervous.”_

_Derek spat with annoyance. He admitted that he really liked Stiles. He could almost say that he loved him. But he sure as hell got on his nerves a lot of the time._

_“Well, if you’re not nervous just spit it out then.”_

_“Fine.”_

_“Good.”_

_Stiles and Derek argued back a forth for a moment._

_“I just wanted to know if you were doing anything this Saturday?”_

_Stiles’ smirk was quickly wiped from his face as he leant slightly to far back and almost fell off the wall. Derek’s question had taken him off guard. Him and Derek had been secretly seeing each other for a while but it was true that they hadn’t actually been on a date. And if Stiles was right. This was Derek’s attempt to ask him out on one. Now he understood why he was nervous. Now Stiles was nervous._

_“Um… Uh… Yer.”_

_Stiles stuttered. He could hear a muffled chuckle on the other end of the phone. He felt his skin heating up as he blushed with embarrassment. How the tables had turned. Now Derek was the one teasing him._

_“Why?”_

_Stiles whispered. He scratched at the back of his neck absentmindedly as he patiently waited for Derek’s reply._

_“I was just wondering if you would want to come someone where with me?”_

_Derek questioned. Stiles laughed awkwardly as he felt his nerves become almost unbearable. He hadn’t realised how much he had wanted Derek to ask him out on a date._

_“Yer sure.”_

_“Good. I will pick you up at seven on the street corner.”_

_The phone hung up and Stiles was left in the cold still holding the phone to his ear. He brought the phone down to his lap and bite at his lip as he smiled uncontrollably. Releasing a squeal, he didn’t even know he was holding in he jumped to his feet and practically skipped back into the library. He had a date with Derek and he couldn’t wait for Saturday to come. He hoped it would come quick._

_*****_

Derek stared at the contents of his drawers as he rummaged his fingers through it absentmindedly. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking for. It all seemed unimportant and insignificant. Junk that he had just chucked into his draw.

 

“Still can’t find your precious memorabilia?”

 

Peter taunted from his chair. Derek growled for what felt like the hundredth time. He hadn’t growled this much in years and he knew exactly what was causing it. Grabbing some tape from the draw he stalked over to Peter. With an irritated and frustrated expression, he leant into Peter and pulled on the end of the tape making it screech.

 

“I have had enough of your comments.”

 

Cutting the end of the tape with his claws, Derek taped Peter’s mouth shut, finally shutting him up. The room fell silent and Derek sighed with relief.

 

“I will find it. I will remember. I will.”

 

Derek whispered painfully under his breath as he walked back to his drawers of insignificant crap.

 

*****

_Stiles stared at the piles of clothing he had on his bed as he stood in his room in just his underwear. What was he supposed to wear? Derek had never specified it was date. He had never said where they were going. Or what sort of clothes he would need. He was stumped._

_He considered phoning Scott and asking for his expertise on the situation but then of course he would probably have to explain why he was going on a date with Derek. He considered asking his dad but then he probably wouldn’t be able to go on the date. He had no one to ask and no clue what to wear._

_He suddenly began to understand all those films with the girls chucking clothes about and stressing over what to wear on their first date with the guy of their dreams. This shit was stressful. He grunted loudly as he slumped his shoulders and stared at the ceiling._

_“I hate dates.”_

_Stiles muttered. He knew he didn’t really think that but right now he did hate dates._

_After contemplating the implications of each outfit, he decided on a smart-casual look. He wore his skinny black jeans, a chequered red shirt, a grey woollen jumper and some trainers. He hoped it would be suitable._

_He shoved his house keys into his jeans pocket and checked the time on his phone. It was 6:30pm meaning he would probably get to the street corner early. He was nervous and decided that being early was probably better than being late._

_He slipped his phone into his pocket and headed down the street. He clicked his knuckles out of nervousness. He had never felt this nervous. Not since he asked Lydia to dance with him at Homecoming. It was a strange feeling that he hoped would go away._

_As he grew closer to the street corner he began to see a black car parked on the corner waiting. It was Derek. Stiles took his phone from his pocket and checked the time again. It was 6:40pm. It seemed he was the only one who was early. Slipping the phone back into his pocket he walked up to the car and knocked on the window._

_Derek rolled down the window and looked Stiles up and down. He smirked as he leaned across the car and opened the door for Stiles to get in. Stiles chuckled as he walked round the car, checking around himself to see if anyone was watching them before getting into the passenger seat and closing the door. To anyone that could have possibly seen them it looked like a very suspicious turn of events._

_Derek rolled up his window as he chuckled at Stiles. He put the car into gear and drove off into the distance leaving a trail of dust behind him._

_“So where are we going?”_

_Stiles questioned as he tightened his seatbelt across his chest. His nerves had not subsided since he had gotten in the car with Derek. If anything, they had heightened. Derek turned around a corner at considerable speed as he smirked to himself. He was driving very fast almost as if to show off to Stiles. He was trying to hide the fact that he was shitting himself with nerves just as much as Stiles was._

_“It’s a surprise.”_

_Stiles looked up from his seatbelt in shock. He had just assumed that they had cut the conversation too short to discuss where they were going on their date. He hadn’t realised that it was a surprise. He felt his nerves escalate as he tried to imagine every situation possible. None of them were making him feel any better._

_*****_

Stiles fumbled the attic keys in his fist. He hadn’t been inside Derek’s attic for years but he still had the set of keys that Derek had given him years before. He took a deep breath and slotted the key into the lock. Turning it to the left he heard a click. His hands were trembling. He wasn’t even sure why but he couldn’t stop himself.

 

Pulling the door with all his might he opened up the attic for what must have been the first time in years. The place was coated in a thick grimy layer of dust. Coughing as his lungs filled with dust, he waved his hand in front of his face and entered the attic.

 

He looked around the attic and tried to remember what had been the reasoning for the last time him being there. He wasn’t sure but his mind flooded with good and bad memories that him and Derek had had in this very attic. A few he had hoped to forget forever.

 

He reached the table that sat at the end of the room and ran a finger through the dust. Rubbing it between his fingers he sighed. He walked away from the desk and headed up the spiral staircase to the bedroom.

 

He didn’t know what was this precious item that Derek and he shared. He wasn’t even sure that it was going to be the same thing in Derek’s eyes as his but he knew what he held as the dearest thing that Derek had given him. And he knew exactly where he had left it. Where he had abandoned it years ago after Derek went missing.

 

*****

_After what felt like hours of driving, and the crossing of possibly several states, Derek pulled his car into an empty, derelict parking lot in, what seemed like, the middle of nowhere. Stiles looked around through the safety of the car window trying to find something familiar but is was a maze of abandoned houses, empty shops, and deserted rubbish._

_“Where in the World are we?”_

_Stiles questioned as he got out of the car with a rather disgusted look on his face. He wasn’t one to judge but when Derek said they were going on a surprise date he had hoped it would be someone nice and not the American equivalent of Chernobyl._

_“It is a surprise.”_

_Derek smirked as he locked his car and walked over to the very confused Stiles. He smiled at Stiles and slowly took hold of his hand in his. Stiles was surprised. He hadn’t realised how desperately he wanted to hold Derek’s hand but never been able to. He smiled and followed him cautiously behind._

_Holding tightly to Stiles’ hand, Derek guided him through the desolate streets towards a tall dark building with an ominous sign hanging from the door inviting passer-byes in. Stiles slowed down his pace as they grew closer to the building, tugging on Derek’s grip._

_“What is it?”_

_Derek questioned with concern as he stopped to look round at Stiles, who at this point had completely stopped in his tracks. Stiles looked up at the building with disgust and fear. This was definitely not how he had imagined his first date going._

_“Is this a date or are you going to sell me to be slaughtered into sausage meat or worse into sex slavery.”_

_Stiles questioned with a very weak joking tone. Derek chuckled under his breath. He could smell Stiles’ fear emanating off of him. But Stiles had nothing to fear. Not with him around._

_“I promise you will like it.”_

_Derek smiled reassuringly trying as hard as he could to show Stiles that it was safe and that he could trust him. Stiles looked at Derek and then back to the dark over-towering building before reluctantly following Derek into it. He hoped he was going to like it for the both of their sakes._

_Once they stepped through the doors it was if they had been transported to a different place entirely. From the inside the building was beautiful and bright, with extravagant staircases and gorgeous oak doors. Stiles looked around in awe as he reminded himself never to judge a book by its cover._

_“Welcome to Mayhem Escape Rooms. I am assuming you are Mr Hale and Mr Stilinski here for the eight thirty slot in the haunted castle room?”_

_A young man dressed in a fancy three-piece suit walked in from around a corner carrying some bottles of water. Taking Stiles by surprise, he jumped at the sight of him. Derek tried to hide a laugh as he took the bottles of water from the man and passed one to Stiles._

_“Wait… Mayhem Escape Rooms?”_

_Stiles questioned as he absentmindedly took one of the bottle from Derek._

_“Yes, Mr Stilinski. We are a small company that do elite and stunning escape rooms that spread from a pirate ship, a mummy tomb, a sci-fi experience, a haunted castle, which is the one you will be doing today, and many more.”_

_Stiles stared at the man in astonishment. He had heard of these escape rooms through the grape vine but he never thought about doing one. Of course, it was definitely something he was up for doing. He loved to investigate and solve puzzles under pressure. It was practically his calling._

_“Told you, you would like it.”_

_Derek uttered with a smug expression on his face. He was happy Stiles was shocked. And he should be proud of his achievement._

_“Fucking hell.”_

_Stiles mumbled under his breath. Derek was right. He did like it. It liked it a lot. Without a second thought he jumped at Derek pulling him into a tight embrace._

_“This is fucking amazing!”_

_Stiles screamed as he hugged Derek with as much might as he could muster. Derek chuckled as he hugged Stiles’ in return. His nerves had begun to subside. Stiles was enjoying himself. He hadn’t completely ruined their first date._

*****

Derek sat on the end of his bed rubbing his fingers against his temples as he felt the nagging pain of a headache. He had been searching for hours and he still had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for.

 

He thought he had remembered everything about Stiles by now. He thought he had regained his connection with him but something was still holding him back. Something was still preventing him from seeing what he needed to see.

 

“Mhmmhmmhmhhmhmhmhmhhhm”

 

Peter mumbled through the tape still stuck to his face. He had been quiet for quite a long time Derek had to admit but that didn’t mean his mumbling didn’t piss him off. Growling with annoyance he got up from the bed and harshly ripped the tape from Peter’s mouth making him wince with pain.

 

“What did you say?”

 

Derek snarled as Peter stretched his mouth, clicking the bones as he did.

 

“I said. Do you know what astonished me most when I found out about you and this Stiles kid?”

 

Peter questioned. Derek rolled his eyes. He wished he had never taken the tape off but for someone reason deep down he still hoped that Peter was still his uncle. And that wasn’t wrong. He still was his uncle it was just that his uncle didn’t care.

 

“I don’t care.”

 

Derek muttered as he reached for the tape again to shut Peter up once again. Peter squirmed against the ropes that tied him down but he still couldn’t break free.

 

“The fact that Stiles had become you’re anchor.”

 

Peter declared loudly as if trying to emphasis something to Derek. As if trying to help him in some way to remember. Derek paused, his hand hoovering over the tape. He had forgotten that. That he no longer controlled himself through anger but through Stiles. That Stiles was the one that grounded him.

 

He stared blankly at the tape as his mind wandered to other places. To other times. His eyes began to well up with emotions, brimming with tears as he remembered, fully remembered, how important Stiles was to him. His hand fell back to his side as he breathed deeply as if he had been holding his breath this whole time.

 

“I know where it is.”

 

*****

_Stiles burst through the doors of the Mayhem Escape Rooms building huffing and puffing, his body static with ecstasy. That had by far been the best date, if not only date, he had ever been on. If he wasn’t jumping off the walls with energy and excitement he may have even kissed Derek._

_Derek followed not far behind, a massive grin spread across his face. He knew Stiles was going to enjoy it but he had been kind of fearful that it would end in an argument. But that couldn’t be further from the truth._

_Most of the night had been dominated by Stiles’ incomparable puzzle solving skills. Derek had practically been side-lined by Stiles and his magnificent brain. But he didn’t mind. He had been enjoying just watching his constant smile grow with every new task that they were given._

_“That was amazing!”_

_Stiles shouted as he skipped across the parking lot towards Derek’s car. Derek smirked. Stiles hadn’t stopped smiling since he had realised where they were._

_“Well the night isn’t over yet.”_

_Derek scratched at the back of his neck as he felt his nerves kicking back into full force. The easy part was over. Now for the hard part._

_“Would do you mean?”_

_Stiles questioned as he skidded to a halt next to the car door awaiting for it to be unlocked._

_“I have one last surprise.”_

_Derek muttered as he unlocked the car and got in. Stiles’ smile dropped. He felt his heart race at the words surprise. The escape room was so amazing. He couldn’t think of anything that could possibly make the night better. He couldn’t understand why Derek would want to do anything else. He had already treated him with so much._

_“Are you going to get into the car?”_

_Derek questioned as he leaned towards Stiles to see his face. He had noticed that the smile on Stiles’ face had gone and that only made his nerves sky rocket._

_This drive was much shorter than the last. Within a matter of minutes Derek had pulled up into a road-side diner parking lot. As he put the car into park and turned it off Stiles looked round at him._

_“What’s with all this?”_

_Stiles questioned with uncertainty. He adored Derek and it wasn’t that he wasn’t enjoying the evening, it was quite the contrary, he was loving the evening. He just couldn’t quite wrap his head round why Derek was doing so much. Treating him to an amazing escape room adventure. Taking him out for dinner. What else was there? And why?_

_“Because…”_

_Derek scratched at his back. The more he thought about the date the harder he scratched._

_“Because this is our first date and we have been…”_

_Derek’s voice hitched on the words. He wasn’t entirely sure how to finish the sentence. They had been together but it wasn’t exactly your typical relationship._

_“…seeing each other, for months now so I have to make up for all the missed time.”_

_Derek muttered. Stiles’ eyes widened as his body sparked with emotions. Derek was being sweet. He was acting like he was in love. He was acting like he was going to propose._

_The diner wasn’t exactly fancy but it was probably one of the posher road-side diners that Stiles had encountered. It was cute and quaint with its original 50s décor and design. Stiles felt like he should be wearing roller skaters as they went and found a table by the front window._

_Derek took a seat opposite Stiles and smiled as he grabbed the menus and passed one over to Stiles. After a few moments, a young girl came plodding over to their table with a huge grin and an overly positive outlook that would annoy anyone. But Derek and Stiles were too distracted by their nerves to notice._

_“What can I get you boys?”_

_She chirped as she her skirt swizzled around her knees. She held a paper pad and pen in her hands and tapped them together as she waited for their replies. Stiles smiled at her out of politeness before looking back to his menu. The waitress blushed slightly as she smiled back._

_“I’ll have the cheese burger with fries and a vanilla milkshake please.”_

_Derek requested politely. The waitress jotted down his order and then turned to Stiles who still hadn’t decided._

_“And what about you handsome.”_

_The waitress chuckled. She bit at her lip as she smiled towards Stiles. Stiles looked up with a shocked look, confused as to whether the waitress had aimed that comment at him._

_“Who me?”_

_Stiles questioned with confusion. Out of the two of them he would have definitely put money on Derek being the one to get hit on by the waitress._

_“Of course, you lovely.”_

_She cooed as she flirtatiously bit at her lip again. Stiles looked away quickly as he felt himself becoming ever more aware of the situation. He was sat in a diner with his date whilst getting hit on by the waitress. This was way out of his comfort zone. He slammed the menu shut, practically shoving it in the waitress’s face._

_“I’ll have the maple syrup and bacon waffles with a chocolate milkshake and fries. Thank you.”_

_Stiles blurted out as quickly as he could, hoping it would get rid of the waitress quicker. The waitress smiled one last time before disappearing out the back of the diner. Stiles sighed as he began to relax with the waitress now gone._

_“She seemed to like you.”_

_Derek teased as he fiddled in his jacket pocket with something out of sight. Stiles scrunched up his nose and huffed at the comment which quickly became a laugh. Derek fiddled with the item in his pocket. He slowly began to take the item out of his pocket._

_“I have…”_

_The waitress came rushing over with a tray, containing to glasses, and two jugs of milkshake. Derek’s words caught in his throat. Fear of this strange girl hearing what he had to say he shoved the item quickly back into his pocket._

_The waitress placed the tray on the table and leaned as far forward as she could go, giving Stiles full view of her cleavage. Stiles quickly looked away. She smirked before picking up the tray and disappearing out the back again. Derek huffed._

_“Stiles… I have…”_

_As quickly as the waitress was gone she was back again, this time with their food. Derek grunted under his breath. He didn’t mind this flirtatious waitress at first as she seemed harmless but now she was starting to get on his nerves._

_Pushing Stiles’ plate across the table slowly till it sat in front of Stiles, she accidently, or as Derek thought, on purpose, got maple syrup on her finger. Chuckling she slowly brought the finger up to her mouth and sensuously sucked the maple syrup off. Stiles awkwardly laughed with her hoping that this time she wouldn’t come back._

_“There is this…”_

_Derek started again hoping that this time he would finally be able to finish his sentence. But surprise, along came the waitress again this time she had nothing with her. She was tugging on Derek’s last straw._

_“Can I get you boys anything else?”_

_She questioned directly at Stiles, completely ignorant of Derek’s existence. Stiles clenched his fist as he looked up towards the waitress._

 

_“No! We are fine thank you. We would like to be left alone to enjoy our meal now.”_

_Stiles spat out the word ‘No” with such force it took even Derek by surprise. The waitress looked at Stiles with an astonished expression. He didn’t seem like the shy guy she had originally thought he was._

_“If we need you again we will call for you.”_

_Stiles bit with a wave of irritancy in his voice. He was fed up with this girl and he just wanted to enjoy his meal with Derek. Derek smirked as the waitress walked away. He almost felt like he had won the battle for Stiles’ affections. Not that the fight was ever in her favour._

_Derek took the item he had been hiding in his pocket out and finally placed it on the table in front of Stiles. It was a round, flat, hinged jewellery box that looked like it was made from high-end brown leather._

_“I have something I want to give you.”_

_Derek muttered as he pushed the box towards Stiles across the table. Stiles, who had a forkful of waffle very close to his open mouth, looked up at the box. He put his fork down and, after wiping his fingers vigorously on his napkin, he picked it up._

_The box creaked as if it had been opened a thousand times and it had become stiff and brittle in its old age. Stiles opened it with such care and consideration, one might have thought it was fragile._

_Sitting in amongst the soft, fluffy leather interior was a thick black leather bracelet, with a single charm on it. A silver triskelion. The same triskelion that Derek had tattooed on his back._

_“I want you to know that you will always be a part of my pack. You are my pack. No matter where either of us are. I am always there for you Stiles.”_

_Derek whispered at Stiles. His heart practically beating out of his chest as he waited for Stiles to respond. But Stiles just sat there staring at the bracelet not a single word or noise coming from his mouth. It was starting to freak Derek out, who usually couldn’t shut Stiles up._

_“Stiles?”_

_Derek cautiously leant down trying to see Stiles’ face and possibly get an idea of how he was feeling._

_Stiles stared at the bracelet, his heart thumping in his chest so hard he was sure the entire diner could hear it. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to react? All he could think was that he was sure that he was in love with Derek but he couldn’t tell him that. He couldn’t dare._

_“Stiles?”_

_Derek questioned again, his nerves quickly becoming fear._

_“I love you… it… I love it.”_

_Stiles stumbled on his words as he looked up from the bracelet and towards Derek, a shocked expression still etched on his face. Derek chuckled as the fear subsided. He sighed not realising that he had been holding his breath._

_Stiles began to smile. He looked down at the bracelet one last time before looking back up at Derek. He leaned across the table and pulled Derek in close, kissing him sweetly upon the lips. He would have normally been shy about public displays of affection but right now he couldn’t care less. Derek had completely blown him away._

*****

Stiles knelt down next to Derek’s old bed and, leaning to the right, he reached under the bed and pulled a flat leather box out from the dusty darkness. He held the box in his hands, running his fingers tenderly over the soft leather. He remembered that night like it was yesterday but it now seemed to be shrouded in a somber light.

 

Falling back into a comfortable position, Stiles opened the box. Inside sat the thick black leather bracelet with the silver triskelion charm dangling off of it. Tears began to well up in Stiles’ eyes as he remembered the best night of his life.

 

As a tear slide down his cheek, Stiles blinked and slammed the box shut, stuffing it into his coat pocket.

 

*****

“That was Grandfather’s.”

 

Peter mumbled as he watched Derek delicately take a leather box out from underneath a loose floor board. Derek sat on the edge of his bed, tenderly holding the box in his hands. He ran his fingers across the soft leather and smiled.

 

“I found it in the burned remains of our house.”

 

Derek muttered as the box creaked whilst he opened it. Gracefully sitting inside the box was the thick black leather bracelet with the silver triskelion charm on it.

 

“Mum used to tell me all these stories about how it was used to create peace.”

 

“To bring the packs together.”

 

Peter interjected as he leant forward as far as he could go desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the bracelet. Derek smiled with a tenderness Peter had never seen before.

 

“You didn’t?”

 

Peter questioned with fear. But Derek didn’t answer, he just smiled as a tear ran down his cheek.

 

“That is a precious family heirloom.”

 

Derek ignored his comments. Or rather he couldn’t hear them anymore. He was too caught up in his thoughts about one of the best nights he had ever had with Stiles.

 

“It has been passed down for generations.”

 

Peter snapped. But Derek still could not hear him.

 

“A sign of peace amongst the packs.”

 

Derek closed the box and gently ran his finger across the leather one more time.

 

“And you gave it away to some stupid boy.”

 

Derek looked up from the box, his expression had changed to that of anger and annoyance. He could get back to Stiles now so Peter was slowly becoming a loose end that needed to be dealt with.

 

“He was… is my pack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering what Stiles' ringtone for Derek is, here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vzkYARhWjw


End file.
